The Call of the Wild
by Sakura-x-Saku
Summary: Kikyo is your averge half dog demon not too strong, yet not that weak. One day she and her human companion get captured by the Reikai Tantei and... Ah, read and find out. HieixOC May be slightly OOC. Consider yourself warned.
1. Chapter 1

Cold water formed in millions of drops poured from the dark, cloudy sky. Lightening was giving a bright yellowish light from time to time. The wild wind was running around in circles, surrounding everything and giving a cold breeze and playing with the fallen leaves. Who would wish to walk on that kind of weather?

Well, I would. I was walking all my life, no matter the circumstances: when I was injured or healthy, happy or sad, tired and sleepy...

I never had such thing as home. To be honest, I really don't know what that word means. Yes, it was only a word for me. Home... Family... Friendship... Love... Bonds... Those words are unknown to me.

I was walking through all sceneries: the sand and snow deserts, the forest, fields, meadows, crowdy cities, small villages, mountains, caves, I swam through calm oceans, wavy seas and rough rivers... I've been everywhere. Except _home_. But I don't know where it is, so...

And now I'm in the Ningenkai, the Human World. Again.

I escaped from the Makai a week ago. I was too famous there. On the 'Black List', right next to the Fox Demon Youko, number one Tomb Rider. Other demons from the 'criminal world' were laughing. The famous Youko, the powerful Fox Demon having a big rival? A female? A **half-breed**?

I looked at her face. Next to me, a little girl was walking, rescuing me from loneliness. Her bright, chocolate brown eyes were open half way, her soaked short dark brown, almost black hair was dancing in the wind. She looked so peaceful and fearless, like an angel. Was she enjoying my company? Wasn't she afraid? Did she trusted me? Was she truly happy with me?

Those questions flied away a long time ago...

**A cloaked female was walking through a small village. She heard rumors that this place was always covered with snow. It seemed true. All houses were looking like from a Christmas postcard.**

**The girl was smirking behind her hood. A very valuable item was resting in her pocket. Those baka guardians were no match for her. She killed every single one of them.**

**She was on her way to a fellow dealer. He was buying her stolen stuff and collecting them, of course, very well hidden. The girl and the dealer weren't exactly friends. Only partners. The deal between them was simple: he indicated an item, she was stealing it and, in exchange, he was making her any weapon she wanted.**

**The dealer was an Ice demon, but he lived illegally in the Ningenkai. Koenma's detectives were after him for a while, but he's a master in disguises. The dealer lived in the next village, so she was close.**

**A sudden scream snapped the female from her thoughts. Weird noises - sounds of a fight - were coming from one of the houses. The girl sniffed the air. Alcohol, anger and desperation. This wasn't good. And, the girl didn't sense any demon energy, so it was weird.**

**She came closer to the house and looked inside through the window. A man was waving his hand in the air in anger, babbling something. The girl could hear single words like 'Mafia', 'gangsters', 'money', 'the girl', and 'kill for the good'.**

**Interested now girl went closer and saw a woman with long black hair and tears in her eyes kneeling on the floor and hiding something behind her. Some white clothes? The clothes were CRYING?! No... It was a child. A little girl with the same long, black hair and dark brown eyes. She was scared to death, the peeking female could sense it very clearly.**

**"Please... I'm begging you... Don't... Don't kill her!" the kneeling woman begged.**

**"You stupid bitch! Don't you understand?! If I don't kill her, my future is ruined! Now move out of the way!" the man grabbed a gun and aimed it to the little girl. He shoot, but the woman covered the girl with her own body. The shoot ended the woman's life.**

**"Mommy!" the little girl cried, covered with her mother's blood.**

**"Stupid brat..." the man murmured and raised his gun once again.**

**The cloaked female had enough. She kicked the door open and threw a long dagger at the suprised man. The dagger, filled with the girl's power, reached the man's chest and pierced his heart. He was too stunned to make a sound, he just widened his eyes. Within two seconds, he was dead.**

**The girl, still with her face hidden behind her hood, turned around, wanting to leave, but she felt a slight tug on her cloak. She looked down and saw the little orphaned girl. Her pale face was covered with tears, her clothes were ripped here and there and her hair was all messy. She looked at the mysterious young female with her big pleading eyes. She had the gaze of a dying person...**

**The female raised her eyebrow. Indeed, that little Ningen brat was cute and all and it's obvious, that she will grow into a beautiful woman, but...**

**A lonely woman...**

**Was this pity? Maybe.**

**"W-who... Who are... you?" the little girl asked in a fearful voice. Even her voice was pretty.**

**The cloaked female kneeled next to the girl to reach the same level. Her golden eyes flashed. It was something weird going on. Something was creating. An unique feeling... A bond...**

**"Come with me. I'll make you strong..."**

The girl was 5 years old back then. Now, she is almost 12 (almost, her Birthday is coming up). And she's still with me. It's her own, free will. She could leave me every moment, but she isn't. Her real name is Yukiko, she told me that on the day we met. Her father was the mayor of her home village. But he's gone, along with his village...

I destroyed the whole village. Why? I got to know, that the villagers knew about their major's dirty business and his cruelness, directed towards his family. They knew and yet, they didn't react. Yukiko and her mother were beaten awfully.

And as for Yukiko... I gave a new name. To erase the 'snowy' past.

I named her Inuko. Also, as I promised, I trained her for these years we've been together. She could sense any demon, she was strong and fast, was able to master any weapon... My clone. Only personality and looks are different. She is always smiling and laughing, a cheerful, polite little girl. I was distant, cold... It was extremely hard to gain my trust or see my smile. Only Inuko saw it...

"... Kikyo-san?" my thoughts were interrupted by a shy voice. I looked at Inuko's face.

"I'm a little hungry... Could I have a cheeseburger, please?" she pointed to a restaurant with a 'McDonalds' sign. I noticed that building a couple of minutes ago. How couldn't I? The smell coming from the inside was stunning.

"Sure. Stay here. I'll go." I said checking, if my hood was covering my whole face. Inuko nodded and climbed a tree.

I sniffed the air. The rain slowly went away. Once again, the same delicious smell filled my sensitive noise. Then I spotted two guys. They were too far away to see the details, but one of them held a big brown pack full of that delicious smelling food. Quickly calculating, I started running very fast in their direction. Regular Ningen couldn't see me, but suprisingly my target shivered as I came closer. Knowing that I must hurry, I jumped, grabber the pack and, like a boomerang, returned to Inuko in a blink of an eye.

"Hey!! My precious food!!" I heard the carrying one yell. Hn, stupid Ningens.

Inuko happily ate the food and I pressed my back to the tree trunk, crossed my legs and putted my hands behind my head. I closed my eyes.

"Um... Kikyo-san?..." I heard Inuko start. I opened one of my eye and looked at her.

"Yes?"

"...I... I was wondering... How is it to be a demon?" she asked suddenly.

"Well... Why do you want to know?" her question suprised me.

"Because... I... I want to be a demon." she stated.

"And why is that?" I asked, with only one eye opened.

She looked at me. I think she adores me. But I'm nothing special. I'm short (about 5,2), always wearing the same, blue clothes, I have long silvery hair and golden eyes. My body is well shaped because of all those hours of training, but Inuko trains equally hard!

Oh, did I mention I have white dog ears on top of my head, white tail, sharp fangs and long claws? That's because I'm a dog demon. Well, half...

"Because I would be stronger and faster... My human body is too weak..." Inuko said quietly.

"Being a demon isn't that cool as you think." I closed my eye.

"Thank you... Kikyo-san..." Inuko whispered and smiled. I smiled back.

And we drifted to a world of our dreams. A perfect world...


	2. Chapter 2

Two powerful demons. One Ningen with Spirit Energy. One Spirit. They were heading here. Very fast.

I opened my eyes. Inuko was still asleep, curled in a ball on a huge tree branch. Oh, right, they were too far away for her to sense them.

"Inuko, wake up." I said, trying to concentrate. The human girl slowly opened her eyes and stood up. Thank goddness she doesn't ask any questions. She trusts me so much...

"Kikyo-san..." she started. Yes, she finally noticed it. Those demons were quite powerful.

"Don't worry, Inuko..."

"It's not it." the girl cut me off. I looked at her, clueless. "I'm just excited. It's been a week since we had a serious battle." she ended with a smirk. I smirked back.

Inuko created a barrier, which could hide our energy and smell. I wasn't talented in barriers and illusion, only the basics. Damn, I knew I should listen to my Sensei... Oh well...

We didn't wait long. Soon, 4 people came. One made me snicker. He looked like an orange haired gorilla after hitting a truck. He was the one from yesterday!

The next one looked like a Ningen, with gelled black hair and in a green uniform.

One was as short as me with an... err... interesting hair style (gravity exist, no?) and red eyes.

The last one was tall, with long red hair and green eyes. Somehow I could tell that he is a demon, a very familiar one. Hmmm...

"Damn that Koenma, he said that she'll be here" the one with the gel said angrily.

"Relax, Yusuke. Koenma said that it's a girl, right?" the gorilla asked.

"Yes, he thinks so." the red head replied calmly.

"So, there's nothing to worry about!" the orange haired guy said loudly.

"Hn, why?" the last one spoke.

"Cause, Shorty, she'll sense my charm and react fast!"

"Better not. I have better things to do than chasing a girl demon around the world." the shortest guy replied, making me chuckle loudly.

"Hey, THERE!" the guy in green shouted, pointing directly at me. Oops...

"Inuko, stay." I ordered quietly knowing that I will need the element of suprise later on. Then I jumped from the branch and landed infront of them. Luckily, my hood was covering my face and those humiliating dog ears.

"Aaaah, there you are!" the guy called Yusuke pointed at me. No shit...

"Excuse us, but you will have to come with us." the red head said politely.

"To where?" I decided to be equally polite towards him. He seemed nice...

"TO KOENMA!!" the orange haired baka shouted, trying to make a star out of himself. Idiot.

"Could you keep it down, I have very sensitive ears." I said coldly.

"Uh... Sorry..." he whispered. Did I just think 'idiot'? Make it double.

"To Koenma you say? Hmmm... I think I'll pass." I said rather nervously, waving shortly. I turned around, wanting to escape. Fast. If Koenma wants to see me, then it's nothing good.

...But someone grabbed my arm, 'accidentally' pulling off my hood. gulp

"AAAAAH! SO KAWAII!!! LET ME TOUCH 'EM!!" the baka guy wanted to touch my ears (sigh it happens often), but I caught his hand and squeezed it. No one, I mean NO ONE is touching my ears.

"I already told you that, my ears are super sensitive." I growled. The situation started to piss me off. I need to run.

Then the shortest guy who grabbed my arm earlier seemed to read my thoughts, unleashed his katana and nearly touched my neck with it. I didn't even flinch. I was kinda used to it.

"Oh please..." I sighed, pulling the weapon away.

"Please, don't make it hard for us. Koenma just wants to talk with you." the polite red head said calmly. Yeah right... Koenma doesn't TALK to me anymore... Not that I'm sad or something... Totally opposite.

"Sorry, but I have more interesting things to do than talking to a baby and hanging out with Detectives. Good day gentlemen and you too, ugly monkey." I said, smirking and walked off.

"HAHAHA!!! Poor Shrimp He means Hiei, duh..., a demon girl called you a monkey!"

Triple-time idiot.

Suddenly, a whip wrapped around my waist, the thorns cutting my skin, but not too deep. I sighed and tried to unwrap it. No use.

"H-hey! You better let me go! NOW!" I shouted demandingly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Koenma want's to see you." the green eyed demon said as if he really was sorry.

"Then, I'll give him a picture. He will see me whenever he wishes. I don't have time now." I said and the guy with the gel snickered.

"Yeah, he would LOVE to see a picture of you, especially if you're gonna pose naked..."

I felt my cheeks getting hot and red. I felt really angry...

"SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!" I shouted furiously "IF YOUR FRIEND HERE WASN'T HOLDING ME, YOU WOULD BE DEAD NOW!!!" I struggled, trying to use my sharp, long nails to cut that damned whip, but the shortest guy (did I mention that he was my size?) noticed my tries and grabbed my wrist in a strong grip. The two idiots were laughing even harder after my... eee... speech.

"Wow, you even BARK like a dog!"

"Yeah, cute little puppy!"

"Don't piss the carpet!"

"GHAAAA!!! INUKO, ATTACK!!!!" I lost it. Which means that they are in trouble...

Around 20 daggers flied from the tree Inuko was sitting on and they (daggers) pinned the two fools to a tree. The short one and the red head were smart enough to jump out of the way. One of the daggers cut the whip, freeing me. About time...

So, the one who trapped me with the whip went to free his idiotic friends while I battled the guy my size. We both unleashed our katanas and began. I have to admit it, he was pretty good. Finally a worthy opponent.

The expression on his face was showing boredom, but my dog senses told me better... He was having problems as well.

My right dog ear twitched as I heard a sound coming from behind. Hoping that Inuko will take care of it, I didn't stop fighting.

The last thing I saw was a smirk on my opponent's lips and his cold red eyes when something hard hit me on the back of my head.

_Two against one? Not... Fair..._ was my last thought and it started to get dark before my eyes, when someone responded:

_**Life isn't fair... Isn't fair at all...**_

The voice was expressionless, but I caught a hint of sadness. I blacked out before I had more time to think about it more.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up with a headache, feeling a calming, cold piece of cloth on my forehead. And in a room...

I tried to remember something, but my head hurt too much. Oh yeah, those bastards hit me on my head, knocking me unconscious. Damn them.

The bed I lied in was very warm and comfortable. I slowly sat up and looked around. The room was small and held a warm atmosphere. The walls were painted in a dark green color, the furniture was made in dark brown wood. The whole room looked and, as I assumed by sniffing the air, smelled like a forest. For an unknown to me reason, I liked this place.

Then, I noticed a glass filled with water on the table next to my bed. Assuming from the smell coming from the glass, it was Inuko who brought it here. I gladly took it and drank the water.

I wanted to get out of the room, but my laziness took over and I lied my head in the soft green pillows again, feeling relaxed. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I was searching for Inuko...

Yes, there she was, one store below me in a room with a delicious smell... Smell of meat... My stomach growled loudly and I felt how hungry I was. I'm always hungry, but I don't care. I eat whenever I want.

Suddenly, it hit me: I was supposed to meet my fellow dealer, Kage! I got the gem he wanted! Oh crap!

I jumped out of the bed like it was on fire and ran towards the door. I opened them and...

I was in a bathroom. It wasn't big, also in a green color (but lighter), but I didn't have time to look around.

With a major anime-style sweatdrop, I closed the bathroom doors and ran through the other ones. Yes! I was in a corridor. I noticed the stairs and, don't bothering to run, I jumped. That dog ability, great balance was very useful to me. Once again.

Following Inuko's scent, I came into the kitchen. Around a big table, those four guys were sitting. Inuko was there too, watching them shyly and slowly eating food, her carrying the chopsticks hand was shaking a little. As I came in, their gaze landed on me. The guy in green, Yusuke as the rest called him, snickered.

"Look who's up... You want someone to take you for a walk?"

I had the strong urge to hit him and break his empty skull. His ugly friend, who was laughing now, asked for the same.

Stopping myself mentally, I turned to Inuko.

"Inuko, we must go. Now" I said. She responded by nodding her head and standing up.

"Not so fast..." my ears twitched as a familiar voice rang from behind. We got trouble...

As I turned around, I saw a teenage-looking boy with a 'Jr' sign on his forehead and a binky in his mouth. He held the same smell as before... How could I forget him?

"Welcome again, Kikyo..." the teenager spoke up coldly.

"What, feeling safe because of those 'Spirit Detectives' of yours?" I sneered, equally cold. "They don't baby-sit you all the time, you know. You should watch your back."

"Don't try to threat me, Kikyo! You're the one who should be threatened." the boy stated calmly.

"Go to Hell..." I growled before turning to Inuko once again "Come, Inuko. We've got business to do."

Inuko took a step forward and the boy's hand shifted slightly. And then I noticed it...

"No, Inuko, **STOP**!!" I shouted but it was too late. In the next second, Inuko was trapped in a metallic cage. By the expression of the Detectives I realized that they didn't put the trap. So it was _his_ work...

"KOENMA!!" I yelled, grabbing him by his collar. His 'babysitters' stood up immediately.

"Now, now, Kikyo, don't get your blood boiled just now." Koenma said calmly.

"LET HER GO!!" he knew that I care for her... _'Damn, he's got it... My weak spot...'_

"Calm down!" Koenma ordered. _'Hah! Dream on!'_ "I have an offer for you... Here, read this." he handed me a piece of paper. I shot him one last death-glare and snatched the paper, only glancing on it. It said something about a new tournament and that one team has to have at least 5 members which one of them is an official leader.

I'm not stupid. I know what kind of 'deal' the Ruler's Son has for me, a lower-ranked half demon. Guess he's not that popular then...

But I decided to play along.

"I couldn't care less, Koenma. Let Inuko go. Now."

"Did you read it?" he asked.

"No, I was just admiring the beauty of the paper." I snorted, sarcasm dripping from my words.

"Hn, so that means that you ARE stupid..." the short dude stated.

"No, it means that you have absolutely no idea about sarcasm. You wouldn't recognize it even if it hit you right in the a-" I paused, feeling a katana touching my neck. Again, I didn't even flinch.

"Ooooh, Shorty, watch out for that one!" the orange-haired one said.

"Yeah, she's fierce. Just like you!" his friend (in the green uniform, Yusuke) whistled. I really wanted to tear them apart.

"I advice you to sleep with one eye opened from now on..." I threatened in a low growl.

"Kikyo, enough. We must talk on private." Koenma said sternly.

"I am NOT coming without Inuko." I shoved the katana away.

"Fine then. Kikyo, you are joining Team Urameshi." the Ruler's Son announced.

"Hell no." _'WHAT IS HE THINKING?! ME?! A DETECTIVE??!!'_

"You don't have a choice." he said matter-of-factly.

"Wrong. I always have a choice, Koenma." I snapped, feeling angrier within seconds.

"Oh, alright then... Here's the choice: become a Spirit Detective and live here happily with the kid," he motioned to Inuko's trapped figure "or refuse and SHE will go to jail. Along with you."

My jaw nearly hit the floor. "SHE?! WHAT FOR??!!"

"For helping you out with the crimes."

"You **bastard**... LEAVE HER ALONE!!" my growl turned into a shout and I jumped towards Koenma with my long sharp claws infront. Like a Deja-vu, I felt a whip around my waist, followed by a katana near my neck and a finger pointed to my head, like a gun.

"D-damn it..." I tried to brake free, but another sword, a Spirit one this time, made it impossible.

"Heh, you're slow, Kuwabara." the one, who annoys me the most smirked.

"Shut up, Urameshi!" the Spirit Sword holder snapped.

"Kikyo-san!" Inuko yelled. Indeed, the view wasn't too enjoyable. I could whip them all in few seconds, if I had a weapon... No, in fact, I could kill them easily with my bare fists, if I were free...

"So, Kikyo... Do you accept my offer? If you do, the girl will be free. If not... Too bad she's so young... All of her best years in life spent in jail... The choice is yours." Koenma looked as me calmly. Believe me, if it wasn't for his bodyguards, he would be dead. Now and a long time ago...

"Let her free and I'm yours." I said, gazing at the ground. So many times... So many times I tried to fight my greatest weakness... The worry for Inuko... But I couldn't. What an amusing sign, a half dog demon, giving up her **unworthy** life for a Ningen! NingenHuman

"Kikyo-san, NO!" Inuko shouted, banging on the cage-thing "You cannot! What will he think of you! Think about Ka-"

"Inuko, enough!" I cut her off. She was about to say his name. She was about to say 'Think about Kage!' Like I care! All I want is for Inuko to be safe and free...

"That's great! The search is over! Kikyo, you will be living here with Team Urameshi-"

"With Inuko." I snapped at Koenma, my tail twitching slightly.

"...Yes, as you wish. Kurama will show you your rooms. You will train tomorrow and then I'll find a good mission for you. See you then." Koenma smirked and disappeared in a purplish portal. I growled and the Detectives released me.

"Kikyo-san..." Inuko looked at me. The trap disappeared as well.

"You are Kikyo, right?" the polite one, red head asked.

"Duh" was my response.

"I'm Kurama." he smiled at my rudeness "This is Kuwabara..." he pointed to the ugly orange-haired boy, who also smiled.

"This is Yusuke Urameshi, our former leader" Kurama continued "And this is Hiei."

"Thanks for the introduction, Fox, now show me and Inuko our new rooms." I said boredly. Kuwabara and Yusuke widened their eyes while Kurama looked slightly suprised.

"How did you know that Kurama is a fox demon?" Urameshi asked.

"You idiot, she is a dog demon. She can _smell_ it." came Hiei's cold response.

"Oh... So, is she your kid or somethin'?" Kuwabara pointed at Inuko. I glanced at her and memories flied by my mind.

"Partly." I said, suprising them all.

"Partly? How?" Kurama questioned, rising his eyebrow. I was getting tired.

"Just show us the rooms, will you?" I said irritated.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Come on."

He leaded us upstairs. Many different smells filled my nose. I liked the rosy smell. Kurama smelled similar, so I guessed that we passed his room.

"Here's yours, Kikyo." the fox boy opened the door.

It was the same room I've been lying in. That nice, forest fragrance came to my nose. I kinda liked this room.

"And Inuko's right across." I snapped out of my little trance and followed them.

Inuko's room was nice as well. Painted in a light orange color, it had the smell of an orange. I noticed a little balcony.

"Do you like it, Kikyo-san?" the young girl looked at me with shining eyes.

"Yes. It's fine." I replied.

"I'm glad that you like it." Kurama smiled to us.

"Whatever. Goodnight." I turned around and entered my room.

Later, when the night came, I was half-lying in my bed, my back pressed against the wall, my hands behind my head and my legs crossed. The bed was directly opposite to a huge window, so I've got a great view of the dark sky, full of silver stars. The thought of staying in one place for a long time didn't exactly came to my brain. For me, it was just a break.

The window was wide opened and the cold autumn wind caressed my face. I closed my eyes in pleasure. My left ear twitched as a long wolfish howl rang through the forest. It was calling me.

_'Hn. I bet it's Akari. Kage must be pretty irritated. Too bad, I'll visit him tomorrow... Maybe...'_ I thought while smirking.

Both of my eyes perked up from the sound of footsteps coming to my door. I glanced at the clock and wandered who's coming at the time. 12:44 AM. Soon, I recognized the scent and the door opened slowly.

"I'm sorry, Kikyo-san, but... I can't sleep alone." Inuko whispered, looking at the floor. My eyes softened and I got up from the bed, sitting cross-legged on the quite large and comfortable windowsill.

"Sleep here. I'll guard." my voice was as soft as my eyes.

"A-are you sure, Kikyo-san?" the girl was hesitant.

"Yes, I am sure. Goodnight."

"... Goodnight, Kikyo-san... Thank you."

I mentally smiled to myself.


	4. Chapter 4

I opened my eyes, feeling something on my head. I shook my head and a little grayish bird flew away, leaving one gray feather behind. _'Hn, Kage must be pretty irritated. Not my fault.'_ Judging from the sun which was still partly hidden, it was very early. _'Might as well visit our little impatient friend.'_ I checked on Inuko and tried to sense if anyone beside me was awake. No one. Good.

I was running all the way, wanting to get the 'job' over with. Kage created one single portal leading to a secret cave, where he held his illusion and where he lived.

I arrived in the middle of the meadow. Not too far away from there, behind an icy cold waterfall, the portal was glowing. Carefully sniffing the air near it, I knew that Kage was awake and, beside his pet wolf Akari, he was alone.

I jumped into the portal and 3 seconds later I fell on the hard ground. I was in the ice cave Kage was living. _'Damn! I never could land gracefully here!'_ I cursed in my mind, getting up from the floor and brushing my pants.

"Hello, Kikyo." a cold voice rang through the silence "Finally, you came."

"Yeah, yeah... Let me in, will ya?" I asked irritated. The inside of the cave wasn't the warmest place, also the 'ride' through the portal gave me a shiver from the cold.

One of the stony walls melted, revealing a huge room. I went inside and the wall grown big and hard again.

"Do you have the gem?" a person came from the darkest corner of the room.

"Why, I missed you too, Kage." I sneered, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't be so sentimental. You're here to make business. I must admit it, you are very good at it... Kikyo..." finally, Kage showed himself.

He was an ice and illusion demon, we kinda grew up together. I remember very well, that when I was only a brat, he loved to fool me with his illusion games. As years passed, I learned how to defend myself from his tricks. Our relationship is weird: we aren't friends. Maybe we were a long time ago, but it ended. Now, we are only partners. Both of us are too stubborn to actually admit it, but we care for each other.

"Yes, yes, here's the gem." I grabbed a little jewel from my pocket and tossed it to Kage.

"Splendid. Now, what would you like in return?" he smirked and I returned it.

"Hmmm... To be honest, I have no idea." I admitted, sitting on a chair. Another figure came from the shadows, this time it was a big reddish-brown wolf. Her name was Akari and she wasn't any ordinary wolf. She was much bigger than other wolves, had sharp teeth, long claws and she was very strong.

Before I met Inuko, Akari was my criminal partner. Sometimes, Kage called us the 'WD Team'. 'WD' is for 'Wolf (and) Dog' or 'Wild Dog'.

Akari walked over to me and I petted her head. We could understand each other's body language or sense our current emotions. Well, I was partly a dog after all.

"Hello Akari." I greeted the wolf. She licked my hand in response.

"I think I've got just the thing for you." Kage said. He raised his hand and a gun appeared in his palm. It looked like an usual weapon, but I knew it was special. Every single weapon made by Kage, the Illusion Ice was special.

"Let me explain. The bullets of the gun, after hitting the target, can turn into an ice block or, if you put more Spirit Energy into it, can make explosions. The more Energy you put into the bullets, the bigger explosion will be." my partner explained, giving me the gun. I liked it...

"Awesome, as usual. Thanks, Kage." I said, putting the gun in my pocket.

"I'll send you info about your next target tomorrow." the dealer promised.

"Oh ya, about that..." I grew nervous inside "You see... Inuko got captured and I was forced to be a... _Spirit Detective_." I ended, closing my eyes. _'3... 2... 1...'_

"You WHAAAT??!!"

"Kage... Don't worry, okay? Chill..." a sigh escaped my lips.

"**CHILL**?! MY PARTNER-IN-CRIME IS A DETECTIVE!!" Kage was pissed. Akari whined and ran to her corner. I was sooo much in trouble...

"Kage, look... I didn't have much of a choice! Ah, forget it, I still will be helping you. Besides, as a... Detective I will have access to many important documents!" I tried to calm him down. It seemed to work and Kage's eyes went back to normal (when he was yelling, his eyes were wide open).

"O...Okay then..." he sighed deeply.

"So we're cool, right?" I wanted to make sure.

"Yes, we are. Nothing will change... Between us." he said seriously.

"Sweet. I gotta go now, I'll send you a message when I'll be free. See you then." I waved "Bye, Akari."

I was about to jump in the portal, when a hand landed on my shoulder. I turned around to see Kage.

"Something else?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Promise me..." he whispered.

"Huh? Promise what?"

"That... We will be partners... No matter what..." he looked a bit pale and I was wondering why. I gave him a tiny smile, not a smirk, a smile and put my hand on top of his.

"No matter what I will be your partner. Just like on the battle with the Gray Neko's NekoCat... We fought together, remember?" I said softly. That side of me knew only Inuko, Akari and Kage.

"See you soon, Kage..." I jumped to the portal and 3 seconds later, landed in the cave behind the waterfall.

The sun was now higher in the sky, so I had to hurry. I ran to Koenma's mansion as fast as I could, then I climbed to my opened window.

_'I guess Inuko is up'_ I thought, glancing at the empty bed.

"She's downstairs, eating breakfast." a cold voice came from behind me. I spun around. There, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, stood Hiei. He was glaring at me with his cold red eyes. I exchanged his glare.

"So, you're a telepath? Useful, huh?" I smirked, trying to cover the nervous feeling inside my stomach.

"Where were you?" he ignored my question.

"On a walk. As your idiotic friend said earlier, I must take walks. Especially in the morning." I sneered. Then there was a long silence, when I tried to remember how to put up a barrier in my mind, so Hiei couldn't read my thoughts. I think I succeeded, because the fire demon just 'Hn'ed and pushed himself from the wall, walking to the door.

"Breakfast is ready." he said, leaving my room.

When I was sure he was gone, I sighed deeply and fell on my bed. That was close. Too close.

I have to be careful next time.

My ears perked up and my tail twitched as a delicious smell filled my nose. 'Oh, no...' I jumped off the bed and within two, maybe three seconds I was in the kitchen. Inuko smiled at me politely and gave me a cup full of hot, delicious chocolate. I drank everything in one gulp.

"Hey, don't eat the cup!" Yusuke laughed when he saw me licking the chocolate from the cup, making the dish clean.

"Yeah, Inuko was right, you DO love chocolate!" Kuwabara joined Yusuke and they were both laughing.

"Now I know what to make you instead of coffee." Kurama smiled.

"Feh." luckily, no chocolate stayed on my face. Chocolate was my BIG weakness since I was a child (puppy?). I couldn't resist it then and I still can't resist it now. And now they know about it. Damn.

The door opened suddenly and three girls entered the kitchen. The first one had blue hair, pinkish eyes and she wore a pink kimono. For some reason she held the smell of death.

The second girl, a pure Ningen, had short brown hair and brown eyes.

The last girl was an ice demon, I could tell right away. She also had blue hair, but her eyes were red. Her smell was the same as Hiei's.

_'Is she Hiei's sister?'_ I wondered. I was about to ask her, when...

_**'Don't you dare talk about it, inu-onna!'**_ Hiei's voice shouted in my mind. I winced slightly and the three girls spotted me. I had no chance to run...

"**AAAHH**! SUCH CUTE EARS!!" the Ningen girl yelled.

"LET ME TOUCH THEM!! PLEASE, LET MEEE!!" the death-smelling one squealed.

"N-NO!! GET LOST!!" I tried to run away from them. My ears were pulsing with pain because of the noise the whole scene caused. Yusuke and Kuwabara were laughing even harder, Kurama and Inuko were trying hard not to laugh, Hiei was smirking. Chaos. And Hell to my ears. I'm just glad that they didn't see...

"OMG!! TAIL!!"

"KAWAII!!"

_**'You were saying, inu-onna?'**_ Hiei mocked me.

_'Oh, just shut up!'_

After showing the girls that I can bite, everything calmed down and we all sat around the table. Kurama brought breakfast and Yusuke and Kuwabara started piggin' out.

"So, who are you?" the pink-eyed girl asked me.

"Hn. You should introduce yourself first." I said, still angry for before.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the girl chirped "My name is Botan, I'm the Grim Reaper."

_'That explains the smell... But she doesn't look like a Grim Reaper... Too cheerful' _I nodded.

"This is Keiko," she pointed to the Ningen "and this is Yukina."

"Hello." Yukina greeted politely.

"Kikyo." I muttered, looking at the food.

"And this little girl is Inuko, Kikyo's daughter." Yusuke pointed at my companion while smirking and chewing the meal. Keiko and Botan widened their eyes.

"You have a daughter?!" they shouted in unison.

"Not really. But we're close." I glared at Urameshi.

"Oh. Anyways, Yusuke, Kuwabara have to go to school tomorrow, with Keiko of course." Botan said "And Inuko too, Koenma's orders."

My eye twitched madly. _'What... The... HELL??!!!'_

"Over my dead body. Inuko is staying here or I'll go with her." I growled, feeling my anger rising.

"But, Kikyo-san..." Yukina spoke up. My right ear perked up a little. Only Inuko was calling me per 'Kikyo-san'...

"No. If Koenma insist to send Inuko to school, then I'll go with her. For protection." I stood up.

The last time we separated ended awfully. Inuko almost got killed! And I won't allow that to happen again.

"Koenma, the puppy-chic wants to go after Inuko to protect her." I looked at Yusuke to see him talking to a pocket mirror. "Uh-huh, fine. See ya." he turned towards me "As long as no one will see you, go ahead."

"Feh! Who said I have to get a permission..." I turned my head, an annoyed expression plastered on my face.

Inuko got all the books she needed. She also got an uniform. She looked really pretty in it.

It was 7.35 now and me, Inuko, Yusuke, Kuwabara and Keiko were ready to go.

"Remember, Kikyo..." Botan started warningly.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go already!" I cut her off.

A portal appeared and we jumped in.


	5. Chapter 5

The whole day went fine. In her school, Inuko was always sitting near the window, so I could observe her from a tree. Of course, I was very well hidden, no one saw me.

When Inuko exited the building, I saw a guy about her age walking next to her. I was too far away to sniff out his scent, but I could tell one thing for sure: He wasn't a regular human... Although he looked like one.

I saw Inuko waving to him and he did the same to her, then she walked off in the direction of Urameshi's school, like Koenma instructed. I followed silently. I had a really strong urge to come down to her and ask her about that boy, but I stopped myself.

Ok, so we reached the school, Yusuke and Kuwabara took Inuko (I still followed them) to a forest, where a portal appeared. When we arrived in the mansion, I and Inuko went to (technically) my room. We still had some time 'till dinner.

"Inuko," I started calmly, sitting on the windowsill "Who was that kid from school?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. That was Kiken. He's really nice, Kikyo-san! He showed me the school and helped me study a little." a delicate blush covered her cheeks. I narrowed my brows.

"Is he human?" I asked straight.

"Yes." she answered immediately, "I was near him almost all the time and I didn't sense anything wrong."

"Hmmm..." I was about to warn her, but Hiei appeared, calling us for dinner.

I didn't touch my food. Even when Kurama brought a big piece of meat and the delicious aroma filled my nose, I didn't do anything.

_'What's happening? First Kage is acting weird and making me promise such things, now Inuko is making friends with a weird boy...'_

_**'Hn. What's wrong, inu-onna?'**_

_'Not your business. Leave.'_

_**'Who's Kage?'**_

_'I don't like to repeat myself. Go AWAY!'_

_**'Not until you tell me.'**_

I really had enough. My head was full of thoughts and worries, and Hiei just HAD to annoy me. I stood up, feeling 8 pairs of eyes upon me (Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Kurama, Inuko, Botan and Yukina) and walked upstairs without a word.

"... Kikyo-san?" I even ignored Inuko.

Falling on my bed and closing my eyes, I tried to relax. What had gotten into me? I'm so over protective, when it comes to Inuko. But I can't help it. When I'm with her, I'm thinking if it's the same feeling when a mother is with her daughter. It's stupid, I know, but still...

**I care about her.**

_**'They sent me to check on you. What's wrong, inu-onna?'**_ Hiei's voice asked in my head.

_'Grrreat, came to annoy me even further? Leave.'_

_**'Hn. You're just being paranoid.'**_

I widened my eyes. Was it true? Was it true that I'm just being PARANOID? I guess... But I have my reasons! I grew up having only one friend - Kage - whenever he was going on vacations, I was left alone. No one liked me, just because I was only a half-breed. I wasn't like the other, full demons. I became cold and locked up inside. Dark.

And then I met Inuko. I became her second mother. I never knew my real mother, nor my father (but I did get to see them from time to time), so I didn't knew what to do, how to act. Maybe that's why...

I'm being paranoid.

_'Hiei...'_

_**'What is it?'**_

_'... No, nothing. Tell them I'm not coming down, but I'm fine.'_

Hiei left my mind. I sighed. I was really close to thank him, his direct opinion made me feel somewhat better. But I'm too damn stubborn to do that. It was still early, but I didn't care. Closing my eyes, I drifted to sleep.

center /center 

"Kikyo, wake up!"

"Wake up, inu-onna!"

"Hey, doggy!"

My ears perked up and my eyes snapped open suddenly. Without looking, I raised my fist quickly and hit someone right in the face. It was Yusuke's face. He was the owner of the last voice.

"Owwww..." he whined.

"Serves you right for calling me 'doggy'" I snapped angrily, getting off of the bed and looking around lazily. The whole Team Urameshi was there, in my room. "What the Hell are you doing here? Did I invited you?"

"We're sorry for being here without permission, but-"

"We have a mission!" Kurama was cut off by Kuwabara's annoying voice.

"Fine," I still wasn't in the talkative mood. Yusuke looked at me oddly.

"'Fine'? That's all?" he asked skeptically.

"What else?"

The guys (Kurama) informed me that Yukina, Botan and Keiko will take Inuko shopping, then they will make supper. I knew Inuko was safe around them (I mean, what could possibly happen in a mall on Saturday?), but my tail twitched unwillingly, out of habit. I kept my mouth shut, the word **PARANOID** mixed with **OVER PROTECTIVE** in my head.

Caring for Inuko was one, but being paranoid over her was a whole different thing. I had to fight it.

We all came through a portal to Koenma's office, wanting to get the information of our new mission. The Ruler's Son was in his baby form, signing some papers.

"Aaah, Team Urameshi. Here's your mission." he handed one of the papers to Yusuke.

"Ok, guys, we have to capture a thief. The paper says that he isn't dangerous, but he still causes troubles, as a bull demon in the Human World." Urameshi explained after reading the file.

"Heh, piece of cake! Kikyo here can sniff them out!" Kuwabara laughed, but one punch from me made him stop. Everyone, as always, ignored him.

"This portal is going to send you to the store he'll rob." Koenma said.

"How do you know which store he will rob?" Kurama raised an eyebrow in confusement.

"He left a note there,"

"Well, that's stupid!" Kuwabara stated.

"You're stupid." I said, not even looking at him.

"HEY!"

"Yeah, ask Kikyo, she should know." Koenma crossed his little arms while glaring at me slightly. I sighed.

"Sometimes, when I wanted to have some more fun, I was leaving a note one day before my 'work'. It happened three times and I didn't get caught." I explained, smirking at Koenma. Not only I was robbing those shops and stores and getting away with it, but also I made a fool out of the Ruler's 'almighty' Son.

"Yeah, yeah," Koenma waved impatiently, "Get going, Team Urameshi!"

center /center 

We split up. Yusuke and Kuwabara were acting like normal Ningens, Hiei was standing on a tree, having a good view of the territory, Kurama was sitting in the shadows, also playing the role of a Human and I lied in the bushes, waiting to catch any scent of a bull demon. Suddenly, the scent came. It was a bull demon for sure, but the scent was oddly familiar to me... I knew it before...

_'Hiei... HIEI!'_ I called out in my mind.

_**'What, inu-onna?'**_

_'He's coming. Inform the others.'_

About two minutes later I saw him. He looked normal: short red hair and dark, black eyes, dressed as a regular Ningen. He was hiding his horns under a baseball cap, his tail as a belt. But I was sure that he was our target.

I was about to sneak up on him, when Kuwabara stepped infront of the demon. What's the baka doing, there are Ningens all around here!

"Hey. Are you a fan of Dark Waves?" he asked.

Huh? What is he talking about?

"Oh, you mean this?" the demon pointed to his cap. Ok, now I know what was he talking about, but what for?!

"No, not really." The demon shook his head, passing Kuwabara and walking to the store. I wanted to run behind him, but... My ears... My tail... And those people...

_**'Inu-onna, are you fast?'**_ Hiei contacted me.

_'What do you think?'_ Did he wanted to annoy me again?!

_**'Whatever, when I'll say 'NOW', you're going to run into the store. Invisible. Got it?'**_

_'Into the... What?!'_

_**'Got it?!'**_

_'YES!'_ I gave up. It was like 12 in the afternoon, the weather was so hot... I just wanted to return home and jump into the cold water... Wait, did I just thought 'HOME'?!

_**'NOW!'**_

The store wasn't maybe that far away, but running straight into it without being seen is a difficult task. I'm sure that at least two Ningens saw me. It's Hiei's fault. Or Kurama's. I don't know who came up with such a plan.

Dashing into the store, I saw Yusuke fighting the bull demon, the shopkeeper, along with three other Ningens were hiding under the counter, looking terrified.

"Kikyo, protect the people!" Yusuke managed to say without stopping the battle. I ran to the counter. The people saw my ears and tail and became more scared (I don't look THAT bad, do I?), but I shook it off.

"Listen, you're getting out of here. I'll take you out." I grabbed a random Ningen. His weight was nothing to me. I took him and, as fast as I could, ran out of the store. I did the same with the rest of the people and now they all were safe. Or so I thought...

"Mommy!" a weak childish voice squealed from a closed shelf. The rest of the team was already inside.

The demon, seeing that he had no chance with 5 enemies, pushed me out of the way, opened the shelf and grabbed a child from it. It seemed that the woman left her child thinking that it will be safe, that the demon will not find it. That was stupid.

The child was a girl. The demon took out a knife from nowhere and pointed it to her throat.

"Move closer and she will die." he threatened. The girl was too horrified to move or make a sound, her face was wet from tears and sweat. We all took a step back. Everyone was trying to think of a plan, but the only way to save the girl was to retreat.

I froze and my heart started to beat really fast. I could tell my face turning pale and my whole body shaking. My long silver hair spiked up along with the fur on my tail. My eyes went wide.

_**'What's wrong, inu-onna?'**_ I ignored Hiei and let out a small growl.

"You better retreat, Detectives. Or I'll kill the Ningen." the bull demon looked at me and gulped slightly.

What the Hell was happening?!

_**Mommy!**_

_**Mommy!**_

The girl reminded me of Inuko, when she saw her mother got shot. That's why my blood was boiling inside, I was shaking from anger and my heart was beating faster and faster within seconds. I was in some kind of trance, my body was being controlled by wrath.

I appeared infront of the demon, grabbing him by his throat. He was so suprised that he dropped the girl, but not the knife. A second later I felt sharp pain in my arm, where he stuck the knife, but my sudden anger was much stronger. Using only my right arm I raised him from the ground, still holding him by his throat.

"Ggguhh... Let m-me... G-go!" he choked out.

"Kikyo, that's enough." Yusuke said while Kurama took care of the girl. No, I haven't got enough.

My other hand started to glow a golden light and my nails grew longer and sharper. I could clearly sense fear from my victim. I raised my hand on the level of his chest and...

_**"Quickly, get that dog!"**_

_**"We can't! He's too fast!"**_

_**"KILL HIM!"**_

_**"Daddy!"**_

I opened my eyes. That's it... I knew the demon's smell... He was the one of the bull demons, who were after my father...

"Kikyo, STOP!" I felt Kurama's warm hand on my shoulder.

"Ku-Kurama..." I whispered.

_**"More men! Get him!" a demon who was standing in the shadows ordered.**_

_**"Yes sir!" the bull got up and jumped forward, but he got hit again and flied away from the dog, crashing on a stony wall.**_

_**"Daddy..."**_

The bull demons failed in killing my father. The Gary Neko himself did. If I kill this demon...

"No..." I whispered. My hand stopped glowing and I let him go. He fell to his knees, gasping for air and then tried to escape, but Hiei stopped him.

I also fell to my knees, shaking, but not from anger anymore...

"Kikyo, are you alright?" Kurama asked as Yusuke contacted Koenma for a portal. I nodded.

"Yes... I'm fine now, Kurama. Let's go." I stood up feeling a little dizzy. Someone grabbed my arm and threw it over their shoulder. I looked up and saw Yusuke.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I shouted, struggling.

"Sheeesh... I was only TRYING to help!" Urameshi sighed, annoyed, and let go of my arm. Soon, a portal appeared and we all jumped in, returning to the mansion.


	6. Chapter 6

"I had some weird visions about my past." I said, holding up the phone.

**"Really? About what exactly?"**

"The first encounter."

**"Hmmm... To be honest, I have no idea what that means,"** the person on the other end sighed.

"... I saw my father." I really wanted to tell him that.

**"What? Really?"**

"Uh-huh, but it was only a flash, no details."

**"I see... Uh, I got to go, but whenever you will need me, just come. Ok?"**

"Yeah... No problem." I looked around for the 6th time.

**"See you then, Detective,"** the person snickered.

"Oh, just shut up!" I shouted, but smiled. This conversation made me feel better. Kage really was a great friend...

No, partner. He was just a partner.

**"Kikyo?"**

"Yeah?"

**"What did Koenma said about this?"**

"Are you crazy? Of course I didn't tell him! I didn't tell anyone! Beside you and Inuko."

**"Maybe you should. I mean, they are your team now."**

"Maybe... I'll see. It's just that... I don't trust them yet."

**"****Yet****. It's hard to gain your trust, Kikyo..."**

"Is that bad?" I pretended to be angry.

**"Not really,"** Kage laughed **"Just... Give one of them a chance. You'll open up eventually."**

"Hell no," Shit, Hiei entered the room. He narrowed his eyebrows and stared at me suspiciously. "Uh... I got to go, bye!" I ended our talk and turned to the fire Youkai.

"Hn. Who was that?" he asked icily.

"Not your business." I said calmly, feeling the nervous feeling growing inside of me.

The next thing I felt was the wall touching my back and Hiei's katana near my throat.

"Who were you talking to?" he repeated his question even more coldly than before.

"Mind your own business, Hiei!" I shouted getting angrier within seconds.

"As a teammate, you are my business!"

"Get away from me!" I struggled, but he was stronger.

"NOT until you tell me who the Hell was that!!"

"What? Jealous?" that was an excellent move. Hiei blushed faintly and loosened his grip, but still looked very mad.

"Hn. What if you were contacting a Criminal?"

My muscles tensed slightly, I had to think fast. "WHAT IF I WAS NOT?!"

"You were a criminal!"

"So were you!"

"I'm not anymore! I quit a long time ago!" he yelled, his eye twitching in anger.

"Suuuure you did!"

"SILENCE!!"

We froze. It was Koenma who shouted. Hiei finally got off of me.

"The bull demon you caught told me some interesting things... Kikyo." Koenma's hard gaze landed on me.

"Meet me in my office. All of you." he finished with a stern voice. I knew that it was serious.

I, Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama were sitting on the couch while Hiei just leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. The whole Team Urameshi was waiting patiently while Koenma was reading something, the stern expression plastered on his face. After a short while, the Ruler's Son looked up on us.

"The thief escaped from the Makai about a week ago. He's a wimp, he told us everything. Someone sent him here to assassinate a _certain dog demon_..."

Everyone's eyes landed on me and I felt like a freak. But then a lot of things made sense. I knew very well who sent him after me...

"Unfortunately, he didn't tell me who paid him," Koenma said, looking to the side.

"The Gray Neko..."I whispered bitterly.

"WHAAAT?!!" Koenma jumped in his seat, widening his eyes.

"Huh? Who's that?" Yusuke asked cluelessly.

All of a sudden, Kurama began to shake and a blue light surrounded his figure. The light was very bright and I had to close my eyes. What was going on?

"K-Kurama...?" I called out.

"Oh, nooo!" Kuwabara whined.

The person sitting next to me was no longer the nice, polite red headed Kurama. His hair was now silver, his eyes turned to a deep gold color and two foxy ears and a fluffy tail appeared. Yusuke pulled me away by my arm. I was too stunned to do anything.

Kurama turned into Youko.

Youko stretched, yawned and looked around boredly.

"Aaah, it's good to be out again," he stated. The voice changed also; it was deeper and more... sexy.

And then, Youko spotted me.

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, smirking sexily.

"Youko, please..." Koenma started pleadingly, but no use.

"Not right now, Koenma... I spotted an old, hot friend." Youko stood up and shoved Yusuke out of the way, standing right infront of me. "Hello, sexy,"

I recovered from my shock by now.

"Hey, Youko," I said emotionlessly. "What's up?"

"Wait... You two KNOW each other?!" Kuwabara asked, gaping at us. Yusuke and Koenma looked suprised as well and Hiei just stood there, pretending not to be interested. But I knew he was.

"Why, of course... Kikyo is the best _female_ thief and I'm the best _male_ thief. Isn't it ironic?" the fox purred, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I was the best female thief, Youko." I corrected, pushing him off of me.

"Don't tell me you're a Detective now..." he stared at me waitingly.

"Like I had the choice!" I snapped, looking down and feeling my face flush. In the corner of my eye, I could see Koenma smirking.

"Oooh, you poor thing... Here, I'll comfort you..." Youko purred in my ear.

"Get lost!" I growled, punching him lightly in the stomach and, for safety, standing behind Yusuke, who was now cracking up.

"Why did you get out, Youko?" Koenma asked.

"Well, I've heard the name of the Gray Neko," the fox thief said lazily.

"And...?" Kuwabara motioned him to continue.

"And I've remembered that a small group of fox demons, including me, were fighting the Gray Neko band. Along with some dogs..." Youko's gaze landed on me and everyone followed his example.

"You two fought in the Gray Neko Rebellion?" Koenma asked, stunned. I and Youko nodded.

"The dogs, the foxes, the wolves and some other demons allied together and fought a gigantic army of Cats Neko's and their allies." I explained, seeing Yusuke's and Kuwabara's dumbfounded faces.

"B-but why?" Urameshi asked.

"We had our reasons," I ended the topic.

"Any ideas why the Gray Kitty is after you?" Kuwabara turned to me. I shrugged.

"Nope,"

"Okay, Kikyo - you need to be careful-"

"No worries, I'm here to protect her." Youko interrupted Koenma's sentence and hugged me from behind.

"Oh please! You better protect yourself and leave me alone!" I said, annoyed by his perverted personality.

"You're cute when you try to insult me," he purred in response. My tail twitched in great annoyance.

"Ekhem!" Koenma interrupted before I had the chance to hit the perverted fox. "As I was saying... Kikyo, be careful. Team Urameshi, your training will start tomorrow, so prepare yourself. I guess that's all... Goodbye."

Before entering the purple portal which was leading back to the mansion, Youko blew me the last kiss and 'transformed' back into Kurama. My red-head teammate explained that he's a reincarnation of Youko and all that junk, then he started to apologize for every bad thing Youko did.

"He didn't do... Well... Stop worrying, Kurama! I know how to handle him!" I said, trying to make him feel better. I think it worked.

Inuko and the girls made a delicious supper for us. My little friend knew me too well, the hot meat was... Uhhh... 'Delicious' is not the proper word to describe it. 'Heavenly delicious'... Ah, much better. I ate faster than Yusuke and Kuwabara and that made everyone stare. But the best was just coming up...

Inuko and Yukina brought a dessert. Which just _happen_ to be my great weakness... Even bigger than fresh meat...

_...Chocolate..._

Vanilla-chocolate ice cream with lots of toffee on top, chocolate decoration around the plate.

Damn you, Inuko! I was really close to drooling, but my pride stopped me. I'm glad.

I jumped on the ice cream like a wild animal. Like a stray dog, which didn't eat for weeks.

"Inuko-chan, you were right!" I heard Botan squeal in the background.

"Yes, chocolate is one of the things that make Kikyo feel better." Keiko nodded, watching me in amusement. They talked some more, but I was too busy fighting with both, Yusuke and Kuwabara, over the last bowl of ice cream. I won.

Later, the girls wanted to watch a movie. They wanted a sweet romance, so I suffered a lot. But then, Yusuke picked a horror movie, "Freddy vs Jason. Keiko was holding her boyfriend tight, Kuwabara was hugging Yukina (at that point, Hiei kept glaring at the dolt), Botan couldn't stand it and ran away (I bet she went to Koenma, heh), Kurama seemed unaffected by the violent murder scenes, Inuko was lying on the couch, her head on my lap, with a curious expression on her face. I, as well as Hiei, held a blank look, smirking occasionally.

Later that night, Inuko came to my room. I was already after shower and in my night clothes (simple blue shorts and a matching top). I was thinking about that weird flash of past during the mission and about Kage; his words were echoing in my head:

"Give one of them a chance. You'll open up eventually" 

"Kikyo-san?" Inuko whispered shyly.

"Yah?"

"Can I sleep here again?"

"Sure... Goodnight,"

The girl fell asleep with a smile on her face and I watched her. I had a really weird feeling that something bad is going to happen... Something _really_ bad...


	7. Chapter 7

_I, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei were in an old building. It was very dark inside, so I couldn't see clearly._

_"Come on! He's got to be here somewhere!" Yusuke shouted furiously, curling his fists._

_"Watcha mad about?" I asked._

_"Yusuke has got a date today," Kuwabara answered my question, sneering at our leader._

_"I see..." Kurama smiled._

_"Hn," Hiei commented._

_The building we were in was very old, I could tell by the smell. For some reason, I didn't like it. The walls were all cracked up, looking like they could've fall apart any minute now..._

_Outside, I could hear a bird chirping happily. I wish I could change places with it... I felt strange chills running up and down my spine and my heart was pounding in my chest. Dog intuition told me that..._

_Creeek_

_The roof started falling down, slipping and making annoying noises. My ears burned in pain; they were sensitive after all._

_"Everyone, get down and out of the way!" Kurama shouted, a slight note of panic in his voice. From hearing it, I was SURE that things won't go right... We all jumped out of the way of the roof and it hit the ground, crashing into many big and sharp pieces._

_When the dust came down, I carefully raised my head, still covering it with my arm, which was bleeding - I had to hit something._

_"Cough... Everybody fine?" I heard Yusuke's faint voice._

_"Yes..." Kurama stood up, dusting himself off. All of a sudden, I felt blood. But it wasn't mine..._

_"Who's bleeding?" I asked, getting nervous. Blood never was a good sign._

_"Not me," - Yusuke._

_"Me neither." - Kurama._

_"I don't bleed that easily!" - Hiei._

_"..." - Kuwabara._

_"Kuwabara?" I and Kurama called out. No response._

_"Hey, buddy! You alright?" Yusuke stood up as well, looking around. Still, Kuwabara did not response._

_"Hn, maybe he blacked out or something?" Hiei suggested._

_Then, we all noticed Kuwabara's hand. It was stuck between the heavy, sharp rocks. Blood was dripping down from his fingertips..._

_"KUWABARA!!!"_

I opened my eyes, panting heavily. The whole team, Inuko plus the girls were looking at me with concern.

"Kikyo-san!"

"Kikyo, are you alright?"

"What happened?"

"You had a bad dream?"

"Are you feeling well?"

My head was hurting like Hell, my heart still pounding in my ears.

"Girls, maybe you all should go downstairs and make Kikyo some hot chocolate?" Kurama rescued me. He had to notice my pain. The girls looked at me for the last time and turned to walk away, but Inuko hesitated.

"Go, Inuko... Please, leave..." I managed to whisper, but my head had hurt too much to lift it. My face was covered in cold sweat, drops were rolling down and hitting the floor. What the Hell was that? - I kept asking myself.

The girls finally left my room and Kuwabara and Yusuke sat on my bed, Hiei just leaned against the wall as he always do. I refused to stand up, so I was sitting on the floor, still holding my head in my hands. I could feel Kurama kneeling down next to me and I felt his arm wrap around my shoulders in a comforting, friendly hug.

"Kikyo, you must know, that whatever it was, it's gone now," he said softly. Somewhere deep down, I felt embarrassed. REALLY embarrassed. How did I look? Like a child, who is afraid of the dark or something similar. Good thing my face was too pale to flush now...

"Probably a bad dream." Kuwabara shrugged.

"IT WASN'T A DREAM!!" I snapped suddenly. They froze. Well, 3 of them did anyway.

"Inu-onna is right," Hiei stated calmly "I tried to probe into her mind while she was asleep and I couldn't. But I heard you shout out the baka's name," he nodded towards Kuwabara.

"So, you were dreaming about _me_?" my orange haired teammate had hearts in his eyes.

"That explains her current state." Yusuke smirked (my thoughts exactly, by the way). They both started to argue, but I was far away from them mentally. All I could hear was my blood flowing through my veins loudly.

"K-Kurama..." I whispered, shutting them up "Uh... Don't we have training today?"

"Oh, right. Koenma canceled that, he gave us a mission," the red head said, glancing at me with concern.

"Oh no..." my voice was low. I knew it wasn't a regular dream. It was so real...

"What is it?" Urameshi questioned, blinking.

At first I wanted to tell them everything. But then... Would they believe me? I highly doubt that. Heck, even _**I**_ wouldn't believe a story like that!

"No... Nothing. Let's get this over with."

center --- /center 

The cold, autumn wind blew loudly, making some fallen leaves fly in circles. It was past midday and me and Team Urameshi were standing infront of a building. It was a plain, old, gray one-stored building, placed in the one of the 'dangerous' alleys in the town. Dangerous, my ass. Absolutely NOTHING was here, beside few abandoned blocks. Obviously, Ningens know nothing about danger.

Ok, so our mission was to find and arrest a B-class demon, who was hiding here, in the Human World, illegally.

We entered the building and the sound of the door closing behind us gave me goosebumps and a shiver ran up and down my spine - bad, bad sign. Soon, I could feel cold drops of sweat forming on the back of my neck.

"Come on! He's got to be here somewhere!" Yusuke was furious for some reason. I gulped slightly.

"Yusuke has got a date today," Kuwabara said, sneering.

"I see..." Kurama smiled.

"Hn," Hiei commented. At the moment, my heart was beating faster and faster within the full of silence seconds. I was sure that it wasn't a dream or anything like that. The place was exactly the same as I saw. Soon, I found it hard to breathe.

"You alright, Kik-"

"Sssh!" I silenced Kurama, listening intensively, perking my dog ears up to the maximum. The rest of the Team looked at me in a funny way, but shut up, curious.

Outside, I could hear a bird chirping happily. I wish I could change places with it... Oh, NO!

Creeeek

"Kuwabara, RUN!" I shouted out of pure instinct.

"Huh?"

The roof started to fall down, just like in my... dream? Whatever.

This time, I didn't move, so I had the time to analyze what the others did. I saw Hiei and Kurama jumping back as far as they could and Yusuke got down and rolled out of the way of the pulled down by gravity roof.

Kuwabara just stood there, slowly looking up. He saw the falling rocks and widened his eyes in horror.

"Kuwabara, MOVE!" I knew it was too late, he, as a Human, was too slow to run away... To make it... What an idiot he is!

Not thinking further, I jumped forward, reached the orange haired fool and pushed him out of the way. Still holding him tightly by his stomach, I rolled to a corner, hoping to avoid as many rocks as possible. Kuwabara has his eyes closed shut and his arms covering his head. At the very second my back hit the wall, the roof crashed with a loud noise, shattering into many sharp pieces. I was paralyzed. The noise was so loud to my ears that my vision blurred slightly. _'Concentrate!'_

"Cough, everybody fine?" I heard Yusuke's faint voice.

"Kikyo!!" someone shouted. It took me a while to recognize Hiei's voice.

"Kuwabara?" Kurama called out.

"Hey, GUYS!" Urameshi yelled.

"Ouch," Kuwabara whined quietly. I didn't sense any death from him, just shock. I let out the air I didn't know was holding in my mouth. So, it wasn't a dream after all... It was a _vision_...

"Kazuma, are you alright?" I asked softly.

"My leg hurts like hell and I think I'm hearing things," he sat up carefully, touching his right leg.

"Hearing things?" I cocked my head to the side (a dog habit). He didn't get hit THAT strong...

"Yeah... I thought that you called me by my real name,"

"I did, idiot!" I barked, but curled my lips in a tiny smile. I turned my head away from him, so he didn't see it. "Come on, I'll help you out," I grabbed his arm and threw it over my shoulder. Just then I realized that I heard a snapping sound when he hit the wall. Probably, he broke his leg.

"We're alright!" I shouted, slowly standing up. Kuwabara was really heavy...

"Hah! I thought I heard Kikyo's barking!" Yusuke smirked triumphatically when he saw me. I scowled.

"We better get out. It's not quite safe to stay here," I said sternly.

"You're right." Kurama nodded and helped me out with Kuwabara.

_'Finally out,'_ I inhaled the air deeply, using my free hand to dust my clothes off. It was good to see the sun again.

'How did you-' 

_'Please, Hiei... Not now.'_

'Hn,' 

"Let's go back. Kuwabara will be only a burden in his current state," I said, trying to sound like I didn't care. But I did, anyway.

"Hey!"

"Yeah, Kikyo is right. Kuwabara is useless now," Yusuke snickered.

"HEY!!"

"Shut up," I muttered, getting annoyed by his shouts. My ears still hurt from the eerie sound of the crash. I felt Kuwabara's weigh was lifted off me as Yusuke decided to help out his friend. I sighed and caught Hiei's stare. He looked like he was trying to figure out how I knew which one to rescue. It was an analyzing kind of gaze - his brows were furrowed and his eyes concentrated on me.

I couldn't hold it. Turning my head away, I followed Kurama, Kuwabara and Urameshi to the portal which appeared. I couldn't wait to get to the mansion. I wanted to talk to Kage. And, I will. At any rate, I have to tell him that...!


	8. Chapter 8

Kuwabara was alright. He was lying in his bed, recovering from the shock. I was right, his leg was broken, but it was nothing serious - a week or two and he'll be able to stand and walk normally. Kurama and Yusuke were sitting on his bed, Hiei on the windowsill, I was sitting on the floor and the all-mighty Ruler's Son, Koenma was situated on a chair. Yep, we had a Team meeting of some sort. And everyone, _everyone_ was staring at me. I hate it.

"Ok, Kikyo. Tell us everything." Koenma demanded. I sighed; gotta knew that was coming. But, what to do - better make it fast and clear.

"That night I've had a nightmare... You know, when you couldn't wake me up... Yeah, so it wasn't a dream. I saw it. I saw this day, and what would happen if I DIDN'T jump in to save Kuwabara. You guys did the exact same things I saw the day before. I heard a bird chirping and the roof fell down..." before I knew it, words were pouring from my mouth like water. I ended trailing off.

"What happened in the... Vision, when you didn't jump?" Koenma asked, eyeing me carefully. I shifted uncomfortably.

"Kuwabara... Died." I said emotionlessly. The whole room went silent. And then...

"I COULD DIE!! KIKYO, YOU SAVED MY LIFE!!!" Kuwabara had anime tears in his eyes, pouring like waterfalls. He jumped off of the bed with difficulty and tried to hug me, but one of my infamous 'death growls' stopped him.

"So, you're like, a Fortune Teller now, huh?" Yusuke mused out loud.

"NO! I AM NOT!" I snapped. Fortune Teller? What the heck?!

"Geeez, okay! Calm down, I was only jocking!" the Leader sighed, waving his hands infront of his face.

"Kikyo," I turned my attention to Koenma "If it will happen again, be sure to inform me. I'd like to make some examination on this. Good bye, everyone." the Ruler's Son created a portal and went into it, leaving us in silence.

"So, Kikyo..." Yusuke started, breaking it, "If I'd ask Keiko on a date to the arcade, will she agree?"

I was in such a bad mood, so I just stormed off from the room, but not before giving my Leader a nice slap on the cheek.

"Hey! I was only kiddin'!"

While I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I heard Kurama's voice telling everyone to leave me alone, because I have 'emotional problems' at the moment. I must remember to thank him later. He gave me the time to think.

Why, after having the vision, I was so upset about Kuwabara's death? Why was I so afraid that it could happen in reality? Why I put my life away to save a Ningen? And, why am I so afraid that it will happen again?

I closed my eyes, trying to stop the wave of questions. I ordered myself to calm down and think clearly. That didn't quite work, more questions came to my mind like an avalanche. If it was Yusuke, Kurama or Hiei on Kuwabara's place, would I jump in as well? Probably.

My ears were catching many different sounds. Footsteps, laughter, the blowing wind, howling...

I stood up quickly and went to the window. The moon was covered with dark clouds. The howl could be heard again. Akari tried to tell me something... I couldn't understand it clearly, but somehow I was sure that Kage will contact me soon... The phone!

I raced downstairs and passed the kitchen, where everyone was eating dinner, as quiet as I could. They were too loud to hear me, but Inuko sensed me. She turned her head towards me, but I put my finger to my lips, showing her to be quiet. She nodded discreetly and turned to Yukina, resuming talking.

Suprisingly, there was only one phone in this whole big-ass mansion. In the living room, next to the kitchen. Just my luck.

The telephone barely made a sound when I picked it up, waiting. If it was Kage, he'll do the first step.

**"Kikyo?"** yes, it was him. Thank goddness.

"Hey, it's me."

**"Good,"** I heard Kage sigh **"I've found something as your next target. Did you hear about-"**

"Kage, listen. I need to talk to you. In person. I think I'm going insane here..."

**"Hey, relax! Fine, I'll be waiting in the forest near the Detective Lair,"** Kage snickered before continuing, **"Tomorrow night at midnight. Is it okay?"**

"Are you sure?" I asked. An illegal demon living in the Human World showing up near the 'Detective Lair' wasn't a good idea.

**"Yah, I'm sure. I'll be fine,"** he reassured me.

"Did I asked that?" I mumbled, but smiled to the phone. Was Kage able to read my mind...?

**"Not quite, but you did think about it, no?"**

"You're good!" I chuckled silently, glancing back at the door to make sure that no one is coming. Then, my ears twitched as I heard Keiko's voice calling everyone to the living room to watch a movie, which was followed by footsteps. They were coming!

"Kage, I've got to go now, take care," I said quickly as my ear twitched again. I got so lost in our talk... Damn!

As soon as I hung up, the whole Team, Inuko and the girls came into the room and spotted me. I froze.

"Huh? Kikyo? Are you feeling better?" Botan squealed, clapping and flashing me one of her usual wide smiles. Inuko looked at me worryingly. I was so busted!

"Uh... Yeah, I feel a bit better, but-"

"Great! You can watch a movie with us! I'm sure that a good movie will make you feel better in an instant!" the Grim Reaper said cheerfully.

"Yes, Kikyo-san! Stay!" Inuko smiled, throwing me a knowing look. She tried to cover me. I wanted to decline politely, but I decided not to as I saw Yusuke's smirk and Hiei's suspicious gaze.

"Sure, whatever," I responded, taking a seat next to Yukina.

I didn't pay attention to the movie at all. making sure that my mind was blocked, I began to think about Kage's safety. An illegal demon, who is a criminal at the same time, showing up near the 'Detective Lair' wasn't a good idea...

_I was standing under a tree in the forest. The sky was completely covered with dark clouds, the moon was crescent. My back was pressed against the tree trunk, my legs and arms were crossed and my ears and nose were searching for any familiar sound or scent. Finally, it came._

_"Hello, Kikyo," Kage greeted me, coming from the shadows._

_"Hi." I greeted back, pushing myself off of the trunk._

_SNAP!_

_I looked down and I saw a broken stick under my foot._

_"Ok, so, what happened? You sounded a bit terrified yesterday..." Kage looked at me with interest._

_"Well, it's a long story. To make it short, I've had a vision." I said shrugging slightly._

_"A vision? About what?"_

_"That one of my teammate's was going to die during our mission. And guess what; it could happen in reality if I wouldn't save his life."_

_The wind blew loudly through the silence, shaking off some leaves from trees._

_"Whoah," Kage shivered, studying my face closely with his dark brown eyes, "Did that happened again?"_

_"No. only that once."_

_"Well, maybe it's just--"_

_I heard a shot from somewhere behind me. The silver bullet which came from nowhere, pierced through Kage's chest. My friend choked and spit out blood._

_"KAGE!!" I shouted furiously "NOOO!!"_

My eyes snapped open as I heard a scream. My scream. I was lying on the couch, Keiko, Botan, Yukina and Inuko were gone. The clock showed 23:46 (11:46 PM). My mind was fogged up and I felt a very tight knot in my stomach, urging me to throw up. I rolled from the couch and fell on my knees, taking deep breaths greedily.

"Another vision?" Hiei's voice rang from far away. I blinked a couple of times and finally snapped out of it. Team Urameshi still was in the living room, everyone staring at me. I coughed a couple of times and Kurama, who was sitting the closest to me, patted me on the back.

"We really should tell this to Koenma..."

"NO!" I whispered loudly, silencing Yusuke.

"But, Kikyo..." Kurama tried.

"No, please... It was only a dream, I swear... Don't tell anyone..." I managed to say between the gasps. I couldn't let Koenma know that I'm in contact with a criminal! And, one of the best assassins, the Illusion Ice!

"Kikyo, listen,"

"No, Yusuke! It's nothing, really."

All of a sudden, Hiei grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me.

"Listen, you baka inu-onna, we're going to report this to Koenma, because we're WORRYING about you! You're the part of our Team whenever you like it or not!" he shouted "Don't you understand?!"

"It's YOU, who doesn't understand!" I pushed his hands away, anger burning inside of me "I'm the one who is seeing those shitty things, not you! How would YOU feel when you'd see the death of your closest friend?! I'm sure you wouldn't want to talk about it any further!" without thinking twice, I stormed off from the living room. I never felt like this before... I always try to keep my emotions locked up inside of me. But at that moment, I unleashed a small part of them.

I was suspecting that I've woken up everyone with my wild screaming, but I didn't care. Throwing myself on the bed, I closed my eyes and buried my head in my pillows, sighing lightly. Even in the darkness, the vision was before my eyes; Kage's horrified look in his eyes, blood...

No. I won't let that happen. Kage will NOT die. I promise...

I rolled on my back and stared at the ceiling. My nerves seemed to calm down after about 2 hours and slowly, I drifted to a dreamless sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

I opened my eyes, waking up from my slumber, a plan formed in my head. It was like my brain was working all night while I was sleeping. Quietly getting up, I made my way towards the bathroom. After a quick, cold shower, I headed down to the kitchen, brushing my messy hair with my hand. The clock in the kitchen showed 5:25 AM. Early as Hell. I guess I was too nervous to sleep more.

No one was up yet. I made myself some breakfast and ate it machinately; my mind drifted somewhere far away, improving the plan. What to do:

1) Go to Kage now, when it's still early, and stop himself from getting out from his secret lair, or

2) Wait 'till 12AM and as soon as Kage'll appear, take him to a safe place?

"Safe place"? Where is that? Koenma will arrest him when he'll see my partner. Akari would be a less of a problem. But... What about Kage...?

"Hn,"

My head snapped up when I heard Hiei's voice. I didn't even notice when he got here and sat on the windowsill, staring at me hardly.

"What?" I asked, licking my lips after the meal.

"You've been dreaming last night," he stated.

"No shit," I growled, irritated. Where he was getting at? Of course I was dreaming! That stupid vision gave me a lot to think of.

"About a guy. Kage, probably," Hiei said, making me widen my eyes in shock. "He got killed infront of you."

"Shut up," I barked. True - the vision, Kage's fading image was replaying again and again in my dreams. My stomach did an unpleasant flip.

"So that's your big secret?" but Hiei didn't finish, yet, "It wasn't so scary. The guy was killed by a _bullet_?" he snorted.

"Hiei, STOP." I tried to stay calm as long as it was possible, but the fire demon got on my nerves pretty badly. I wanted to keep my voice down (it was still early!), so it was harsh and clear.

"What weak friends do you have..."

_SNAP!_

Hiei caught my fist before it had the chance to reach his face. I tried to punch him again with my other free hand, but he caught it as well. With a growl, I raised my arms which he was still holding, and took aim on his exposed side. He inched to the left, but I've managed to kick him anyway. The blow made him let go of my arms and we could begin fighting for serious. What suprised me, that Hiei didn't had his katana near, therefore he had to use his fists and legs. He was good, I have to admit. After a short while of dodging, punching, blocking, kicking, ducking, hitting and some more dodging, Hiei caught me by my fists again, cornering me.

"Listen, you baka inu-onna!" he hissed into my ear, "You let your emotions control you too fast! Calm down and think clearly!"

"No one's allowed to insult my friends..." I said between the gasps for air. I was exhausted and tired. That was my punishment for waking up early, taking a cold shower and then fighting Hiei. JUST after breakfast. Not exactly the smartest things to do.

"I didn't," he whispered. Does he thinks that I'm an idiot?! "Partly." he smirked, referring to the question I've asked in my mind. It sucks to have someone, who can read minds, believe me.

"Okay, so you can let me go now and-"

"Hiei? Kikyo? What are you doing?" Kurama entered the kitchen, making us both jump. Indeed, the position we were in was quite weird: I had my back pressed against the wall, Hiei grasping my wrists above my head and our faces closely dangerous (the glare seems more deep in that pose). What's worse, that JUST THEN I realized that Hiei didn't have his shirt on... HOLY SHIT!

"No-nothing!" I shrieked out, my face turning bright pink. Kurama glanced at me, then at Hiei and started chuckling. In the corner of my eye, I saw the fire youkai's youkaidemon cheeks tinted pink as well. Quickly, I struggled out of his grasp and made my way towards the stairs.

'Outside in 20 minutes, inu-onna,' 

I didn't reply. Making 100 sure that my mind was blocked and unreadable, I threw myself on my bed, groaning. Kage's image slowly faded away, being replaced by Hiei... without a shirt on. GAAAAH! I grabbed a pillow and shove it on top of my head.

Kage standing in the dark forest. Hiei standing in the kitchen without a shirt on.

Kage falling down in slow-motion. Hiei leaning against me.

Kage's smile. Hiei's smirk.

Kage's empty, dead eyes. Hiei's ruby red eyes...

"FUUUUUUUCKK!" I yelled out, frustrated. I probably woke up the whole mansion, but that wasn't too important at the moment. My mind was a mess. A mess I could not clean up. Even when I wanted it hard. I just couldn't. It was all too much.

"Hey! Quiet down there!" I heard Yusuke's faint voice from somewhere near my room. I threw the pillow I was clutching a moment ago towards the door with full force. The material tore and feathers flied around my room. I didn't knew what to do, so I opened my window and jumped through it, my thoughts still buzzing loudly in my head.

I sat on the grass, bringing my knees to my chest and hugging them. Again, I felt oddly empty inside, gazing forward dully. My head throbbed in pain from the avalanche of thoughts.

"The guy got killed by a bullet?" 

I winced, remembering Hiei's words. Was it my fault that Kage got killed by a... Wait. One second. A BULLET?! One single BULLET?!?! No... That wasn't right. Kage was one of the most skilled demons I've had the pleasure to meet. Although he gave up fighting, sacrificing himself to his passion (making weapons), he still was great. One bullet could only scratch him, not kill.

_'Okay, Kikyo. Focus.'_ I closed my eyes, concentrating. As much as I disliked those freaky visions, it was important to see it once again. 'Please...'

_"Hello, Kikyo," Kage came out from the bushes._

_"Hi," I greeted back, staring at him with attention, searching for anything that could help me decide if... Yes. His eyes. They were dark brown, while Kage's are dark PINK._

_Snap!_

_The stick broke in two under my foot as I came up to him and, without any warning, grabbed him by the collar, startling the person._

_"Who are you?" I growled out loudly, staring into his fake eyes._

_"K-Kikyo! What the Hell-" he stuttered out._

_"Who the damn Hell are YOU?!" I repeated, sounding even more dangerous than before. "You're not Kage, maybe you do smell like him, but you're NOT him!"_

_The person's lips curled up in a smirk as his eyes flashed, before changing colors from brown to yellow._

_"Clever," with one movement, he got out a dagger and stabbed me in the arm. I cried out in suprise and pain before letting him go. The person began to transform; his hair stayed black, but a pair of cat ears grew on top of his head, his teeth and nails grew longer and a cat tail appeared behind him. The scent changed completely, also. My eyes widened, but then narrowed._

_"A cat!" I hissed, holding my wounded arm. The Neko laughed loudly and then my ears twitched, as a shot was heard and a bullet came from behind me, piercing through the bastard's chest. With a final gasp, the imposter was dead._

"NEKO'S!" my eyes snapped open as I shot up, nearly falling down again.

"Bingo," Hiei's voice came from above me. I looked up and there he was, sitting on a tree branch, his arms crossed behind hie head. His eyes were closed.

"So you knew?" I asked in disbelief. How...?

"Not quite. I was suspecting." he responded calmly.

I lowered my gaze to the ground, my head hung low, shadow covering my face. I was Kage's partner. Not Hiei. I was supposed to know him the best. Not Hiei. I was supposed to notice that something's not right. Not Hiei...

"You let your emotions control you too fast!" 

That's right. That is 100 correct. But, why? Why can't I control my feelings? Why my emotions are stronger than me? Why I am WEAKER than my emotions...?

"Hiei...?" I whispered, slowly looking up at him.

"Hn?" he opened his eyes and glanced at me. He was suprised to see that my golden eyes were hard and focused... directly on him. Pure determination and anger was reflecting in them.

"Fight me."


	10. Chapter 10

"Ugh," I groaned as I blocked another powerful kick which Hiei threw at me. We were fighting for nearly 30 minutes and it was clear that he was going easy on me. And, it started to piss me off. After all, I didn't show everything I've got, too.

"Stop it, Hiei!" I shouted between the gasps.

"Stop what?" he asked innocently, panting slightly.

"Don't go easy on me! Fight seriously!" and with that... I punched him straight in the face.

It surprised us both. I had no idea that I'd manage to hit him! I was sure that he'd block! But, after a couple of seconds Hiei recovered from the shock and glared at me fierily. Finally, he decided to play seriously!

center ... /center 

I was lying on the grass, panting heavily. My body was exhausted, my legs weren't able to support me anymore, my whitish silver hair was scattered around my face and on the ground, my face and back were covered in cold sweat and some minor bruises. Oh, did I mention that my bottom lip was bleeding? I was so tired that I couldn't even... wag my tail.

"Hn... You... Lost..." Hiei was lying beside me, in a very similar state. Okay, so his lip wasn't bleeding, but his hand was. It still held the deep mark of my teeth. Yep, he trapped me, so, in order to get free, I bit him. Serves him right.

"Hah, you... Wish..." I couldn't help but smirk; I had this strange urge to annoy the Hell out of him. "It was so funny when you... Screamed when... I bit you..." I chuckled shortly, but my arching in pain stomach hurt too much "_'Iiiah! Let go, let go! You stupid mutt!'_ That was pretty... Pathetic."

A shadow fell over me and the next thing I knew was Hiei appearing on top of me, a seriously pissed expression on his face. I hit the weak spot.

It seemed that he was too angry to talk, he just glared at me. I'm lucky looks aren't able to kill; I'd be dead in a matter of milliseconds.

Deciding to play along, I smirked and parted my lips to say something cheeky and smart, but all of a sudden, I've imagined Hiei back in the kitchen, you know, without the top part of his clothing. My face heat up and I was thanking the goddesses that Hiei was too distracted to read my mind.

However, he did notice my wild blush. "What?" he snapped, looking at me oddly.

"G-get off," I pushed him off and sat up, trying to hide my flushed face. Too bad that Hiei didn't finish then; he was still pissed at me for making fun of him, and he grabbed my shoulders firmly. My stomach twisted and, without thinking much, I aimed a punch at his face. I missed only by few inches, but I did scratch his cheek, which started bleeding. He raised his arm to protect his face and I took the opportunity to strike; I managed to kick him square in the chest. He rolled away, but stood up quickly. I did the same. And with that, the fight began once again.

center ... /center 

"So, what did you decide?" Hiei asked me calmly, looking at the sky from the tree branch he was sitting on. I was sitting on the other branch, oppositely to him, my tired legs dangling in the air. A sigh escaped my lips.

"I guess I'll go and improvise," I said after a while "I'd attach him right away, but I need to know, who shot."

Hiei nodded, still not looking at me. I had no idea what hour was it, but it was pretty late, since the sun already began to set. Around 6-7 PM, I assumed. So, that means that I've spent all day fighting with the annoying fire demon. Great. Time sure flies fast!

Sighing for the last time, I jumped down from the branch and landing quite gracefully on the ground. I dusted my blue kimono, fixed my hair and looked up, glancing at Hiei, who was staring right back at me. _'Go on, just do it!'_ I told myself strictly.

"... Thanks," I smiled, pleased at myself that I finally had the chance to thank him and doing it. Hiei didn't say anything in response. Just smirked. Somehow I knew that it meant 'No problem'.

center ... /center 

I exited the bathroom, fully dressed. My wet hair was dangling around my face. I began to dry them using a fluffy light green towel and I was surprised to see Inuko sitting on my bed.

"Huh? Oh, hey Inuko." I greeted, sitting on my bed next to her.

"Kikyo-san...? I have a question." she started firmly.

"Yes...?"

"When we'll begin our training?"

I was taken aback by this sudden question. Of course! So many things happened that I forgot that Inuko was my apprentice! Well, I didn't exactly forgot that, but I did forgot about the trainings.

"Listen, Inuko. Right now, I have something important to do, but after I promise we'll begin our trainings, okay?" I said.

"Yes! I can't wait!" she smiled. She's so cute when she smiles... Was my mother thinking that, seeing me smile? Did she felt the same warmth of pride, just like me at the moment...?

For a couple of minutes we talked. Well, actually SHE talked. About our life here. Our home. Her school. And, she talked about a boy, Kiken. She talked about him with such passion, her soft brown eyes were sparkling. His name made her smile. And blush slightly, as I've noticed.

"... and, when I got lost in school while searching for my locker, Kiken-kun appeared and helped me!" her smile grew wider at the memory. My stomach did a nasty flip. I saw this Kiken boy ONCE, but I knew I disliked him for some reason. Very much.

"Inuko-" I paused suddenly, as the words _**'OVER PROTECTIVE'**_ and _**'PARANOID'**_ echoed in my head once again.

"Yes?"

"Nothing." I ended quickly, "I'm happy that you're enjoying this life."

"Aren't you?" she asked curiously, blinking.

"Well, I..." was I enjoying this life? Life which was concentrated on fights and missions, away from the survival journeys? "I'm still not used to stay in one place for such a long time..." I said honestly.

"Well, I did felt uncomfortable, too!" Inuko nodded, "But now, I'm not! I have friends here!"

Friends 

"... that's good," I smiled weakly. If she was happy here, then we'll stay as long as she likes.

All of a sudden, my ears perked up as I heard Kurama's voice calling everyone for supper. Inuko smiled at me for the last time and got off of my bed, heading towards the door.

I wasn't hungry. But I wasn't full, either. I just... Wasn't in the mood to eat. Yep, that's it. I just lied back on my bed, thinking about this night over and over again. Before I noticed, I drifted to a dreamless sleep.

center ... /center 

I was standing in the dark forest, waiting. I maybe was looking calm and collected on the outside, but inside was a mess. My insides were twisted from nervousness and excitement. My hands and tail were shaking slightly, my 'calm' face was covered in a thin sheet of sweat. Questions were flying back and forth in my head, but were interrupted, as a figure came out from between the trees.

"Hello, Kikyo," he looked identically like Kage, except the eyes. Even the scent was the same!

"Hn," I glared, my fury rising inside. My jaw was clenched tightly, just like my fists. _'Wait until the shot, Kikyo! Calm down!'_ I shouted mentally, but the voice was fading away fast, being overwhelmed by my wrath.

"Huh? What's the matter?" the guy asked, "You sounded s bit terrified yesterday..."

That was it. I couldn't control my emotions anymore. Jumping forward, my clenched fist made contact with his fake face. I knew that it was not my friend Kage, so it was easy for me to beat him. The looks couldn't fool me. I had the advantage - he wasn't expecting such outrageous actions. He didn't have the time to recover from the shock, I couldn't let him. Quickly appearing behind him, I grabbed his wrists, immobilizing him. I could hear him yelp in suprise and pain.

"Kikyo, what're you doi-"

"SHUT UP!" I shouted, looking around panicky. The shot should come soon by now... "I know that you're NOT Kage, so don't bother pretending."

"Bitch," finally, the guy slowly transformed himself into his real form. Just then I've noticed his long tail which was approaching my hands... Shit!

"NOW!" I yelled out without thinking. As if the sniper was waiting on my command, he/she shot. A bullet flied from between the bushes and dug in the Cat's chest. The imposter gasped, blood pouring from his mouth. His eyes rolled back and his muscles relaxed. I let him go and the lifeless body landed on the ground, a red pool forming under it.

But I didn't pay attention to the body anymore. Taking out the gun Kage gave me once, a not so long time ago, I rushed towards the source of the bullet. Indeed, a person was standing there, a similar gun in their hand. They didn't run. They just stood there, as if waiting for me. Unfortunately, the moon got hidden behind the clouds and it was too dark to see the person's physical details.

I came closer slowly, my tail twitching, my Spirit Energy concentrating. I raised my gun, aiming at the person. They mimicked me.

"Who the Hell are you?" a deep growl escaped my throat. I was trying to slow my heartbeats down a bit, I could clearly hear them in my ears.

The wind blew the clouds away, revealing the silver moon which lightened the area. I was finally able to see my new opponent. Black hair, dark pink, almost red eyes, a cocky smirk on a handsome face... I gasped.

"Kage?!"


	11. Chapter 11

"So, you've decided to leave, huh?" I asked, watching the fish in the river. I and Kage were sitting on a meadow, near a thin, cold river. Yep, it was Kage who shot. He told me that the Neko broke into his secret lair after trapping Akari in a solid, paralyzing cage. Then, he and Kage had a long, exhaustive fight, but the Cat was one of the strongest under the Gray Cat, plus, he had the advantage - the suprise effect. So, the tricky Neko stabbed Kage with a dagger and thought that he killed the ice demon. The Cat, being a very skilled shape-shifter transformed into Kage, changing the smell also. Luckily, Kage was too good to just die, so he picked a random weapon and followed the Neko demon.

"I think so," Kage replied thoughtfully, "Now that the Neko's know where to seek me, I'm not safe here anymore."

"What about Akari?" I asked again, still not looking at him. Instead, I found the silver, glittering fish more easier to stare at.

"She's going with me. No sweat, I'll be trying to write to you," my partner smiled, looking at me. I fell silent afterwards, but still didn't look up. I felt oddly empty inside, my gaze was dull, my voice was monotone.

_"I'll miss ya."_

_"I will miss you, Kage."_

_"... Don't go..."_

"For Hell's Sake, Kikyo!" I blinked slowly, snapping out of my trance as Kage raised his voice and his hands landed on mine shoulders, shaking me. "Look at me! What's with you?!"

"Huh...?" I was forced to look at him. Just then I took notice that he was talking non stop. But, of course, I wasn't listening.

"I was asking you what's up in the D. Lair! Didn't you hear me?"

"Uh..." was he really talking to me? I was sure that it was silence between us. Or maybe I was too lost in my thoughts to notice...

Kage sighed. "I repeat: Did you began to trust anyone in the mansion BESIDE Inuko?"

"Oh! Well, um..." I stuttered out. Come to think of it, I did. They still weren't my friends, but I did start to trust one of them. "Yes, I did."

"See? I was right!" Kage smiled in triumph. "So... Who is it?"

I stared at him dully. "What do you mean 'who'?"

"Oh, you know what I meant..." he grinned slyly. I felt my face heat up, but I've managed to control it.

"He's my _teammate_, Kage," I said sternly, getting rid of the soft blush.

"Ah, teammate, mate, whatever! What matters that you can trust him!" the ice demon laughed, teasing me, but stopped suddenly, when water splashed on his face. I held an annoyed expression upon my face, my eye twitching in anger. My claws were dug into an innocent fish which I caught in a matter of seconds.

"Care to say it again...?" I questioned in a low, dangerous voice. Kage laughed nervously.

"So, how's Inuko-chan?"

"Just great," I said, munching the fresh fish.

"Aw, come on! What's up?" my partner looked at me, curious and worried. And, I told him everything. About the Kiken guy. About her strong bond with the others. Words were pouring from my mouth unstoppably, with great speed and my voice was shaking with different emotions so Kage had to pay double attention to understand me.

"I suggest you should keep an eye on this Kiken person. But, don't be too paranoid over it..." he said slowly after I've done talking and was catching my breath. "If the guy won't be any bad, let Inuko-chan play with him, chill. She's not a baby anymore, Kikyo."

"I know that..." I mumbled bluntly.

"And she doesn't need your extra protection she did 2 years ago,"

The first ray of the rising sun hit our faces, warming up the cold air. I prayed that the moment wouldn't take place. I knew what that meant. And I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all...

Something cold covered my hand; I looked down and saw Kage's hand on top of mine. I had only one wish at the moment: I wished that the Sun would burn out, leaving the world covered with pure darkness, sweet and calming. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was a bitch. The Sun was unstoppable.

A short howl coming from somewhere not too far away brought me back on Earth and I looked at Kage; Akari was heading our way. As soon as I looked at his face, our eyes locked together. It wasn't any romantic moment, that was for sure. It wasn't love. Right there, I was forced to admit something I was hiding from MYSELF for a long time, because I was afraid of ending hurt,

_**"Kage is my best friend. He, Akari and Inuko. They are **__**my best friends**__**. My family."**_

I turned my head and glanced behind as the howl repeated, this time it was louder. Looking through my shoulder, I saw Akari standing near us, her reddish fur shining in the morning sun, her intensive red eyes flashing with sadness. The wolf came closer slowly, her back left leg bleeding slightly. I put my hand on her head and ran my fingers through her soft fur tenderly. I sensed her current mood which was sorrow. I wasn't so happy either. From all of my friends, me and Akari shared the ears, tail and habits. How silent my nights will become when I won't have to wait for her howl! How boring will the full-moon night be, when I won't have any competition in 'who will howl louder'!

After a while of petting Akari's head I realized that Kage's hand is still on top of mine. I faced him. He was gazing into my eyes for a moment, then he pulled me into a warm, tight embrace. I froze. Usually, Kage wasn't so open! But, slowly, I hugged him back. Closing my burning eyes, I let the wind caress my face and play with my long, silver hair.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to write to you long letters," Kage whispered, "I have one move favor to ask you..."

"... Yes?"

"... Don't change. Be happy."

Something warm rolled down my cheek; it was a tear, which soon was followed by a cascade of other tears. I was crying.

_Really gonna miss you_

_It's really gonna be different without you_

_Time is gonna be hard and slow_

_For the rest of my life _

_Gonna be thinking about you_

_Time came when you had to go_

"Kikyo-san!" Inuko came up to me running. I had no idea how I came back, the sun was now high in the cloudless sky. Inuko was dressed in an orange tank top and brown baggy pants, dark brown sandals on her feet.

"I was so worried when I came into your room and found an empty bed!" the girl continued, the worried expression was broke by a big, cheerful smile. "Since you're up, we could start our training now!"

Training. She was talking about the training I've promised her. But, after what happened, I wasn't in the mood. Gazing at her dully, I said, "I'm sorry, Inuko. I can't right now,"

"Why not? Kikyo-san, what happened?" Inuko asked with worry.

I opened my mouth, but closed it. I had to snap out of my daze. I had to tell somebody what I feel. I needed to talk. To clear things up, to free my emotions.

I fell to my knees and hugged Inuko tightly. Again, a tear escaped my eye, but only one. Inuko, startled at first, hugged me back, waiting for me to start.

"Kage's gone... Akari too..." I whispered, feeling very exhausted. My voice sounded like sandpaper in my ears. The girl said nothing, just hugged me tighter, burying her head in my shoulder; she was Kage and Akari's friend, too.

_'Gone'_

Inuko didn't move, nor did I. We just were there, hugging each other. My gaze was still as bit dull, like I didn't know what I was doing or where was I. A weird feeling was rising inside of me, and it wasn't only sorrow... It was something more, something bigger, more powerful. I wasn't able to name this feeling, but it was burning me, it made my tail twitch and bristle.

"What now...?" Inuko's shy voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Will we see them again sometime?"

"I hope so," all of a sudden, as fast as the wave of exhaustion hit me, it disappeared.

_**"Be happy"**_

"Let's go training," I straightened my figure and smiled down at the confused girl before me, "Inuko-_chan_."


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, just so you know, this Chapter isn't important. It's just some kind of a filler of the Series, which holds only Kikyo's memories concerning Kage and Akari. If you're not interested, don't read.**

**Shout out to the ever-amazing Kimmi-Big Sis, e.drennan and Kagome395477 for sticking with this crap. Thank you very much.**

I was sitting in my regular spot, on a small meadow in the middle of a circle of tall, dark trees. There was a pond, where the thin rays of light were landing and making the crystal water sparkle. A sigh escaped my lips as a thought hit me; soon, this place will be gone, all the beauty washed off by the acid rain of war. The Gray Neko Rebellion will start in few days.

Why did they want to fight? I have no idea. Although I heard that the Cats wanted to erase the dog race of _their_ territory. Stupid.

I looked at my reflection in the pond. All I saw was a round childish face surrounded by a mess of whitish hair. The sparkles of the sun were dancing in my golden eyes and my lips were formed into an upside-down smile. My frown grew deeper when my gaze landed on my stupid dog ears. They, along with the tail, were the reason I've suffered. Other demon kids made fun of me and bullied me. They kept calling me '_half-breed_'. My name is Kikyo, Inumaru Kikyo! So what if I'm not fully a demon?! I can be as strong as anyone! I bet that if I'd kill the Gray Neko, the Leader, everyone would accept me... That's it! I'll kill him! And then, I'll show them that I'm not as useless as they think of me, that my parents could be proud, if they... If they just... Gave me a chance...

My mother... I don't remember her. At all. All I know that she was a Ningen. And that she left me because she was afraid to take care of a demon child. That's it.

The same goes for my father. Obviously, he was a full, powerful Inu Youkai, one of the strongest. Rumors say that he's still alive and getting ready for the Rebellion. And he left me. Hn, apparently he thought of me as a shame of his blood, or something like that...

Out of rage, I punched my fist against the surface of the pond. Cold water splashed on my face and hair, my reflection shattered. I let out a growl and tried to get rid of the water off of my hair by shaking my head, like a dog. I was shaking too fast and soon got dizzy, collapsing on the ground.

I shot back up as I heard laughter from behind me. I snapped my head in its direction and saw a boy. He had messy, spiky black hair and unusual dark pink eyes. His clothes were comfortable and baggy, in an icy blue color. He was still laughing.

"What's so funny?" I barked uncontrollably, which caused me to blush from embarrassment.

"You!" the boy pointed at me, laughing even harder "You're so kawaii!"

"Am not!" I snapped, showing my sharp teeth. The fur on my tail bristled and I let out a growl, which sounded less dangerous that it was supposed to. The boy continued laughing, harder and harder, clutching onto his arching stomach.

"Cut it out!" I yelled, jumping forward. I wanted to punch him so badly, I wanted to scratch that stupid grin off of his face. I was coming closer and closer, but the boy didn't move. My claws reached him and...

I flew through him, as if he was a ghost. Unfortunately for me, the boy was standing oppositely to one of the trees and when I flew through him, my head banged on it.

With a surprised cry I fell to my knees and massaged my hurting head. Stars circled infront of my eyes. The boy's laughter increased.

"See? You're so cute!" he choked out, holding his stomach.

"SHUT UP!!" I recovered from my shock and lunged at him again, fury in my eyes and a wild blush on my cheeks.

This time I flew through the boy again, but I didn't hit any tree. Instead, I fell into the pond. Good thing? I wasn't able to hear the tricky boy's laughter. Bad thing? The water was FREEZING cold.

My head broke the surface and I began to gasp for air. As a dog, I knew how to swim instinctually, so it wasn't a problem. I crawled out of the pond with slight difficulty, coughing softly, my long wet hair sticking to my face and back. I rubbed the water out of my eyes and opened them. What I've seen made me fell backwards into the pond again: somehow, the strange boy _copied_ himself, his duplicates sitting, standing, laying everywhere around me. What was even more annoying was the fact that all of them were staring at me and smirking...

That was enough. Like a volcano eruption, I jumped out of the water, my dark blue kimono soaking and more heavy than usual. I gritted my teeth and began to attach the copies furiously. Each time I caught one, he'd disappear. And when one had disappear, another THREE were taking his place.

A couple of moments later, I was out of breath, but still had the strength and will to fight. The clones kept appearing and I had a hard time deciding which one to charge at. A ray of sun broke through the dark green surface of the leaves and hit the water in the pond, catching my attention. Glancing at the pond, I noticed that every clone which was standing near the pond didn't posses a reflection. Only one of them had his water image. So, it had to be an illusion!

I charged at the one with great speed, without hesitation. I curled my fists, ready to hurt the foolish little boy as much as I was able to...

The boy widened his eyes in surprise at my sudden actions. He managed to duck and miss my fist, but I quickly found another way to strike, even more forcefully. My knee reached his face with much power and the impact made him fly away, stopping on a random tree; all of the illusion clones disappeared with a quiet noise.

"Hah..." I breathed out, whipping the sweat from my forehead "That should teach you... Not to mess with me..."

"Aw, you're so tough," all of a sudden, the tree roots wrapped themselves around my ankles, wrists and waist, immobilizing my body. The boy stood up calmly, removing the blood from the corner of his mouth before continuing, "For a half-breed, that is."

I growled, this time it was a REAL, dangerous growl. The boy looked taken aback and I felt the roots loosening up. I took the opportunity and, concentrating my Spirit Energy in one certain spot in my body, I made the roots explode.

'Half-breed' 'Half-breed' 'Half-breed' 

This word was spinning in my mind annoyingly, not allowing me to calm down. My whitish hair had spiked up, my muscles tensed, bloodlust shone in my narrowed, glaring eyes; I was angry beyond imagination.

With one final growl, I lunged at the shocked boy, my claws and fangs ready to rip him apart. Quickly, he started dodging my hits, but I did hit him a couple of times. He was shouting something, but I didn't hear.

I was about to punch the guy again, but a wall of ice blocked my path. Surprised, I looked around to see that 3 other ice walls were surrounding me, forming a cage.

"Geez! Cool down, will ya?" the boy rolled his pinkish eyes, not paying attention to the bleeding cuts on his face "I was _only_ kidding!"

"Well, I _only_ wanted to kill you," I replied sarcastically. Then, a wave of coldness hit my body, making me shiver. Just then I realized with full force, that my kimono was STILL soaking wet.

"I wouldn't die so easily!" he smirked cockily, seeing that I wasn't a threat anymore and he snapped his fingers. The ice cage disappeared.

"So, your name's Kikyo, huh?" he asked, sitting on the grass and patting the spot beside him, wanting me to sit. Ha. As if. Being too stubborn to do so, I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"How do you know?" I demanded.

"Rumors," he responded carelessly, looking around "Nice spot."

"Who the HELL are YOU?!" I was starting to lose my temper again, ignoring his comment.

The boy's head slowly turned towards me, his sparkling dark pink eyes locking with mine. His lips formed into a mischievous smirk.

"I'm Kage, the Illusion Ice!"

"Akari, run!" I growled to the reddish brown wolf, making my way towards the exit. My palm compressed on the jewel we'd stolen; it was my first real mission. To that time, I always was the decoy, I used to be chased by the guards while Akari was stealing things. Not anymore. That night, I was the 'star'. My heart nearly exploded with excitement.

I heard the wolf's paw-steps behind me and soon she appeared infront of me, guiding me to our way out.

The demon guards were after us, but I've already noticed the exit door...

My body crashed on the floor loudly, sending impulses of pain through my body. I had tripped.

The bracelet flew from my hand and Akari caught it between her jaws, growling at me to hurry up and run. I tried to stand up, but one of the fastest guards caught my ankle in a strong grip. My heart skipped a beat. I turned around and, not thinking much, dug my teeth into his hand. The demon guard yelped and let go. Without wasting any more time, I stood up and kept running as fast as my legs allowed me.

All of a sudden, a strong wave of pain shot through all of my nerves, made my vision blur and my body froze; another hand compressed on my... tail. The most weakest point of my body. I whimpered quietly; the pain was unbelievable.

"Good thing you're just a little filthy half-breed," the demon hissed as he get out a dagger. Then, a red blur flashed infront of me and, after I blinked, Akari was on top of the demon, tearing his throat with her fangs. My eyes memorized her movements carefully. I had enough of others protecting me from danger. I wanted to save myself this time. I wanted to prove, that I wasn't pathetic. I wasn't useless.

I wasn't a... filthy little half-breed.

"Hey, yo --"

The 3rd's, last guard's warm blood washed over my throat as my teeth sank deeper and deeper into his rough flesh. At first, I was horrified. But then, slowly, I began to enjoy it. Ecstasy blurred my mind and the demon's screams mixed into one, creating a scary, but hypnotizing melody playing softly in the back of my mind. The blood was fresh, warm and it tasted like the best liquid against my tongue. My eyelids dropped slightly and my mind drifter aimlessly. That moment made a... killer out of me.

Akari's loud bark brought me back on Earth; all of the demon guards were dead, their throats ripped apart. Turning around quickly, I took the jewel from the wolf and we both resumed running. The high pitched sound of alarm hit my ears and I winced, but didn't pause.

Finally, we ran through the huge metal door which were about to close. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at the blinking stars; I had escaped.

That was my first, REAL murder. Then I had no idea what consequences these actions will bring. I had no idea, how helpful it will become in my future. And that it will save my life more than once...


	13. Chapter 13

A whole month had passed since _they_ left. From that time, I received only one card from Kage; it was a small piece of paper with a simple drawing of a smiling face. On the other side was Akari's paw print. No words. So simple, yet it made me smile.

Inuko's fighting skills increased. We trained every day after her school, but unfortunately, Koenma had signed Team Urameshi to a Tournament and I had to concentrate on MY own trainings. Inuko signed herself to a karate class in her school and was doing great.

**Yusuke** was teasing me a lot. About my ears, about my tail, about everything! But, he'd never, EVER insult me. Of course, that didn't change the fact that I kept getting angry at him for all those mean comments, which drove us to a fight. There was another reason for our battles: food. Urameshi can eat nearly the same amount of food than I can. Oddly enough, deep down inside, I couldn't help but smile widely. In one way or another, I liked those fights, it was like fighting with an older brother. Yep, I definitely grew fond of those fights, not to mention entertaining the rest of the Team with them.

**Kuwabara** helped me a lot, but unknowingly. You see, I remembered a weapon that Kage gave me a long time ago, it was a sword. Medium size, with an average looking, silver blade and a dark blue handle, with a small black stone in it. Although it looked quite normal, my partner told me that the little stone will unleash its mysterious power when the right time will come. _"The power comes straight from me," _as Kage had said.

Well, the deal is, that I had never use it, I just simply forgot about it. I couldn't just ASK Hiei for help, so I came up with a better idea. I was spying on Kuwabara when he was practicing with his Spirit Sword and copying his movements. Stupid, huh? Well, believe it or not, it worked. I was able to hold the heavy sword firmly in my hands and do a couple of simple moves.

I was _learning_. From _Kuwabara_. Tell anyone and die.

**Kurama** found a quick way to befriend me. I guess that a master cook and a _cough half cough_ demon with a bottomless stomach can be friends almost immediately. Also, I had the feeling that Kurama was able to understand me, from glancing at me he'd guess in what mood I was currently in.

Kurama is a skilled fighter, who knows his strong points and weaknesses, which is why he gained my respect. During our fights, once he had learnt he didn't have to hold back on me, he fought with all he got. That satisfied me.

My relationship with **Hiei** was pretty simple: Mind your own business. We didn't talk too much, only that what had to be said. Surprisingly, I felt that he was the closest one to me from the strange group. When I learnt about him more, I noticed that we had some things in common: we were different than the rest from the date of our birth. We both were... unwanted.

Hiei could understand me without words. I felt the most comfortable around him, just like I felt around Kage...

There were also **Yukina**, **Keiko** and **Botan**. They didn't bother me, but I hadn't grow fond of them as much as I did with the Team. I still regret the evening when I agreed to go shopping with them. The girls hid my ears and tail behind some clothes and we took off. I felt horrible in the mall, it made me feel so small and lost. In the end, I beat up some guys, who had touch me where they shouldn't, if you know what I mean. We had to scram out of there.

After that incident, the girl decided that the mall isn't a place for me, and that it's better for everyone not to take me to the city. I wasn't planning to be upset about it.

The trip wasn't so pointless, though. I'd manage to steal a nice pedant, just for Inuko. No one found out. So, shh!

"C'mon, doggy! Catch me if you can!"

With a loud, frustrated growl, I lunged at the grinning Yusuke, a grimace stretched on my face. _''Doggy!' How dare he...'_ All the tiredness I felt a moment before vanished; my narrowed eyes were focused on my victim, Urameshi.

However, after 10 minutes of running around, my tired body stopped obeying me; please, bare with me - I've managed to tie with Kurama after a long, REALLY long battle. I gritted my teeth and jumped forward, my body crashing into Yusuke's causing us both to hit the ground. Gathering the last piece of strength, I curled my fist and gave our Leader a nice, big bump on the back of his head.

"Yeowch!" he yelped, "Get off!" He was lying on his stomach, with me on his back, so he couldn't stand up.

"No, I don't think I will," I smirked in satisfaction, I really didn't wish to stand up, not in my current state (I mean, my legs were killing me!). Laying on my stomach on top of him, I stretched my arms to show him that I'm comfortable.

"Fine then," I could almost see Yusuke smirking back by the tone of his voice "Stay on top. I can feel your breasts and I'm starting to like it..."

**SMACK!SMACK!**

Forgetting about all the pain I stormed off to the rest of our team after leaving two red palm marks on Urameshi's face. Their reactions made me blush even harder from embarrassment; Kuwabara was rolling on the ground clutching his stomach and laughing really loudly, Kurama tried to hold himself from laughing by biting his finger (key word?: tried) and failing miserably and Hiei was smirking at me in a cocky way. Are they all asking for similar hand prints on their amused faces?!

I was sitting on a rock, gazing at the moon above me. The wind blew past me, whispering a calming melody into my ear. I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment. The Tournament was coming closer and closer, day by day. But I wasn't worried about it. Well, at least not about those few first matches, anyway. But the rest... A slight chill ran up and down my spine.

_Visions..._

If only I could control them somehow... Maybe I could... see? All I had to do was concentrate and maybe I could be able to see the Tournament... Who will win... Sounds like a challenge. So, I had to concentrate... Breath calmly... In and out, in and out...

I couldn't feel anything physically anymore, I was in my mind. Focus the pressure... To break the barrier around my mind and reach further... To see...

'Stop,' 

My eyes snapped open and my thoughts were interrupted, making me fail the task. I twirled around and spotted Hiei himself, his arms crossed and his eyes staring right into mine.

"What the Hell, Hiei...?" I asked, a bit irritated.

"Hn," was his (typical) response. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Could you please leave me alone?" I questioned whispering, turned around again and closed my eyes. Breathe calmly...

_**'Don't.'**_

"Shut up!" Damn, I almost made it!

"You shouldn't try to do that, inu-onna," Hiei stated calmly, not looking at me.

"And why's that?" what the Hell did he wanted from me now?!

The fire demon didn't respond at first. He gazed thoughtfully at the dark sky and stayed silent. Just when I wanted to ignore him and try again, he spoke up.

"Sometimes, it's better not to know what lies ahead."

I looked at him surprised.

I waited a couple of seconds to let those words sink into my brain. He was right. Again. And I was wrong... Again. Do I owe him something? Should I thank him? I felt stupid and awkward at the moment. _'What should I do...?'_

"Come on, let's spare." said Hiei, his emotionless gaze landed on me. I raised my eyebrows in further surprise. Talking about mood swings! "You need to work on your sword fighting style," he continued.

This caught me off guard. Sword...?!

"Wha...?" I managed to stutter out, gulping slightly.

A smug smirk appeared on Hiei's lips. "Your sword technique. I saw you practicing..."

My cheeks were getting warmer and warmer from embarrassment. He saw me. Copying Kuwabara. But, when? And, why didn't I sense him?! Oh, goddness...

"Were you spying at me or something?" I growled in annoyance, trying to make the embarrassment to vanish and forcing natural colors on my face. In the corner of my eye, I caught Hiei turning his head and frown. He tossed my sword without a word.

It was my turn to smirk at him, eyeing him slyly. "Oh, you did?" I teased, grasping the sword in my fist. The fire demon twitched slightly, which was a signal for me to be careful. I could sense anger and annoyance from him. I was suspecting that Hiei wasn't aware of the signals he was sending me. I, as a dog demon, knew body language quite well.

About a second later, he attacked, raising his katana. I was prepared, blocking the hit clumsily. Hiei, being more skilled in sword fighting, gained the upper hand quickly. I had to pay attention on his movements and focus on dodging and ducking from his sharp blade. I had no chance to attack.

_Distract him,_ a quiet voice spoke in my head; it wasn't Hiei. It was a brilliant plan. But, how? The 'look-behind-you' trick was old and childish. There was no way Hiei would fall for it. What could I do...?

I gulped as an idea came to my mind. It was risky, as Hell. But, I had to try it. To show him that I can win against him...

Jumping back, I threw my sword in the direction of Hiei's head, missing it purposely. The blade dug into a tree and the fire demon was standing just next to it, smirking. He didn't have to move - he knew that I'd miss.

_There goes nothing..._ I told myself and lunged at him. That had surprised him; I was weaponless and still wished to fight against his katana. He lowered his sword - big mistake.

I got a hold of his shoulders in a firm grip and pressed his back against the tree trunk. His eyes widened slightly, wandering what I'll do next. Good question.

_What next?!_ I shouted in my head, making sure that my mind was blocked properly.

_'Oh, you know... Kiss him,'_ the sly voice whispered, making me shiver uncomfortably. Now, I was more surprised than Hiei!

KISS?!?! 

Deciding to do whatever to win and prove to HIM and myself that I am able to reach that goal, I brought my face close to Hiei's, not breaking the eye contact. I could feel his muscles tense under my grip. He was way stronger than me, he could release himself any minute, but since he didn't expect THAT, he froze. The element of surprise rocks.

The distraction worked, but I knew that it wouldn't last for long. I had to end this, _NOW_!

One of my hands slowly released Hiei's shoulder and made its way up, the other one went down. I was staring into Hiei's deep red eyes and he was gazing back. Our faces were flushed slightly, from both, exhaustion and the closeness. Yep, we were TOO close, I just hoped it'll be worth...

I held my breath unconsciously. That's when Hiei saw right through me, reading my true intentions. He narrowed his eyebrows and raised his arm angrily, but the katana wasn't in his hand...

Two sharp blades flashed dangerously in the dark, their tips pointed to each side of Hiei's neck, forming an X shape. For the first time I could recall, I ended the fight with the fire youkai...

... Winning.


	14. Chapter 14

**"Next up, Team Urameshi versus Team Torakko!"**

The Tournament had begun. And, it was boring as Hell. Honestly, NOTHING was happening on the fighting mat! Ah, I wish something interesting would happen, I needed some adrenaline here!

The matches were in a 3 on 3 mode and now, Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei were facing some tiger demons while Kurama and myself were sitting on a branch, watching them with different expressions. Suddenly, a cold, familiar wave of energy hit me, causing me to shiver slightly. Curious if the fox demon felt the same, I turned my head to ask him and saw... Youko.

"Hello again," he purred.

"Ugh," I slapped my forehead. "Not again..."

There it was again. The odd energy. And, by Youko's expression, I knew he felt it, too. The smirk disappeared from his face, his whole features turned serious, his narrowed eyes glared at something - or someone - behind me.

Greatly confused, I slowly turned around in my seat and followed his glare. My eyes widened and a soft gasp escaped my lips.

There, in a dark corner, wearing elegant and expensive clothes, stood a man. No, not a man. A demon. A _cat_ demon.

He had short, neatly cut gray hair and extremely emotionless, almost empty dark gray eyes. Two cat ears were on top of his head, their fur color the same as his hair. Behind him, a long gray tail twitched almost invisibly. The demon's suddenly sharp gaze landed on me and the corner of his lips lifted in a discreet smirk.

Behind him, there were four other members of their team; two of them, also cat demons, were out of my sight, their silhouettes covered with shadows. But the other two could be clearly seen. The one to the Leader's left had white hair, ears and tail, his cat-like eyes were pure red. He looked quite nice, with a tiny grin on his face.

The next, a lot younger demon, to the Leader's right, had messy dark blue hair and eyes, black ears and tail and a shining black collar on his neck. He had sunglasses on top of his head and his hands dug into his pockets. The youngest cat demon I've ever seen!

With a last, cold glare at me and Youko, the Gray Neko, Shimofuri by name, turned gracefully and disappeared out of our sight, his team following close behind. So, the Gray Neko's are competing as well...

I could sense Youko relax beside me. I glanced up at him and met his gaze.

"We've got trouble..." he whispered, closing his eyes. I looked to the side. Then, slowly, I looked up at the fighting mat. Kuwabara and Yusuke were fighting well. But it was Hiei, who caught my eye. Memories floated to my mind like soft, calm waves.

_**'...Kiss...'**_

I felt my cheeks getting warmer, a weird sensation made my stomach flip. I remembered the closeness between us that night. I had never thought about my feelings, nor I ever cared. But for some reason, I had been enjoying our sparrings, I was looking forward for them. The memories faded away slowly and my eyes began following the current action. I couldn't force myself to turn my gaze away. His well-toned chest rose and fell as he was breathing a bit faster than normal. Muscles played underneath his covered in a light sheet of sweat skin. It was weird; I had seen Hiei without his shirt on many times before, but since the little accident in the kitchen, I hadn't pay attention to the details of his body.

A low whistle brought me back to reality. I blinked, snapping out from my thoughts, and turned to Youko, who's been watching me intently, with a cheeky smirk on his face.

"So, Hiei, huh?" the fox asked with mock suspicion.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, come on, you don't have to be shy about it and hide it!" he sighed "It's so obvious..."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" as much as I wanted to stay calm and cool about it, my high-pitched voice and my completely red cheeks visualized my true feelings for sure. "I... I'm not hiding anything..." I stuttered out.

"Yeah, well, you probably missed to notice, you're blushing madly. Oh, is that drool?" Youko teased.

"SHUT UP! I- I wasn't drooling!" I protested, gulping.

"Oh, believe me, you were," he hadn't stop smirking.

"Whatever..." ignoring the fox's mumbles, I closed my eyes in annoyance, wishing that my cheeks would stop turning red.

**"And the winners are... Team Urameshi!!"**

Both, Youko and I, looked up with surprise; the match was over already. Kuwabara had a lot more bruises and cuts than Yusuke or Hiei, but he did won, after all. Maybe that's why he had one of the most biggest grins I've ever seen.

"Youko? What'cha doing here?" Urameshi asked the fox as they came closer.

"Oh, don't mind me, I was leaving anyway," with that, Youko threw me a knowing smirk, followed by a warning glance and changed back.

"O-oh my..." Kurama stuttered out, looking around, his gaze stopping on me. His brows narrowed in concern as he noted my soft blush "Did he -"

"No, no, don't worry," I stood up and scanned the cheering crowd, wanting to avoid Hiei's gaze. After a while, I found Inuko, who was sitting between Botan and Yukina, smiling widely and clapping with the crowd.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Yusuke questioned. I looked at him, surprised.

"Nothing. Everything's fine." I assured, nodding "That was a good fight."

Immediately, Kuwabara and Urameshi began to comment the whole match while Kurama was kind enough to listen and nod from time to time. I hadn't look at Hiei, but he was probably ignoring everything, as usual. That was the perfect opportunity to return to my thoughts. Many questions flowed through my head. Why are the Gray Nekos here? Are they competing in the Tournament as well? What's Shimofuri planning? And, why the Hell couldn't I sense them earlier?!

My shoulders slumped as I felt all of my energy pouring out from me. I gasped softly as exhaustion overcame my body. I knew this feeling. A vision's coming...

_Heavy silence had fallen between me and the person I was about to fight. Demons, people and other watching us creatures were cheering, shouting, clapping... But we hadn't hear the noise. It was as if there was an invisible and unbreakable barrier between us and the crowd._

_He gazed right in my eyes and I did the same, gripping the handle of my weapon tightly. A cruel smirk crossed his old face and his cold, merciless gray eyes flashed with bloodlust._

"Kikyo?" Urameshi's voice came to my ears weakly. I opened my eyes and blinked a couple of times to clear my vision. When it happened, I came nose-to-nose with... Hiei.

"UWAAA!" shocked, I pushed myself backwards and fell from the branch, causing Yusuke and Kuwabara to laugh their asses off. It had to look very ridiculous, even Kurama chuckled.

"Not funny," I muttered embarrassed, feeling the heat on my cheeks already.

"Hn. You had it again." Hiei crossed his arms.

"Another vis -?" my palm muffled Kuwabara's mouth as I looked around suspiciously.

"Not out loud," I hissed.

"So, who's gonna die?" Yusuke questioned, gulping.

"No one, it was... Everyone's safe," I assured "Let's get going."

"Are you feeling fine?" Kurama asked kindly.

"Just exhausted," I sighed, wanting to hit the bed and close my eyes... To curl into a ball and calm my nerves... To drift to sleep...

_I felt hot waves of air washing over my face. Everything around me was white. Everything. I began panicking; the white light was more and more blinding, my opponent's figure drowned in it and disappeared out of my sight. If I stay blind like this for longer, I'll definitely loose!_

_Another wave of air hit my face from the right. I dodged to the left and missed a punch. I gripped my fist on the handle of my sword._

_'I could use some help now, Kage...'_

**This is the end! I don't know if I'll be on soon to upload another Chapter (even if it's only for 2-3 people... You want it – you got it), so I'm leaving you a short preview of the upcoming Chapter. Only 4 to go and the crappy Series will be COMPLETE. Finally.**

**Anyway, here's the preveiw.**

"Hey... What's with all your faces?" I asked, feeling oddly nervous myself. Something was missing...

"Kikyo -" Kurama started, but stopped and didn't finish. My heart skipped a beat. Something was definitely wrong here...

"Kikyo-san, please, sit down," uttered Yukina, her voice soft and worried.

_**"Kikyo-san..."**_

"Where's Inuko?" I demanded, finally realizing who was missing. For some reason, my voice seemed different, like it wasn't mine; it was harsh, almost a growl. Keiko flinched slightly, no one responded. "Where the **Hell** is Inuko?"


	15. Chapter 15

It's been awfully long. I know. I have only five words for you, my dearest Readers:

_Thank you_

_and_

_I'm sorry._

Hopefully the end will be satisfying. I wouldn't mind getting some opinions, be it Reviews or Private Messages; but I dare not ask. Enjoy!

* * *

The whole Tournament went by pretty fast. Fortunately, the Reikai tanteimade it to the finals, which was two days from the strange morning I had.

I woke up suddenly, feeling a weird sensation in my stomach. At first I thought that it was because of the fact, that Team Shimofuri (yes, they DID compete and were _damn_ good) was in the finals as well. So, shrugging it off, I did the whole morning routine, got dressed and went downstairs, thinking about the final match.

I had chosen the sword as my main weapon, which Koenma thought it's reckless, since I hadn't completely master it yet. In fact, I was far from it. But, the more time I've spent on practicing, the more my skills increased. Besides, Hiei is a good teacher. At first, he wasn't too pleased with me, because I had problems with even holding the huge thing! But, followed by a strange desire to impress the fire demon, I found myself trying harder and harder. My time for a short break came after I've seen him smirk.

I truly felt that I'm pushing myself to the limits. To be honest, I had continued to peek on Kuwabara when he was sparring, alone or with Yusuke. Then I was copying his previous movements when I was alone, adding something from me.

I couldn't help but wonder, how the Hell had Hiei found out?!

As soon as I entered the kitchen, a grim aura surrounded me. Lifting my eyebrow, I looked around, my guard up. Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Botan and Yukina's faces were serious, sad and/or worried, while Hiei was his normal, expressionless self. He was sitting on the windowsill and looking through the window.

"Hey... What's with all your faces?" I asked, feeling oddly nervous myself. Something was missing...

"Kikyo -" Kurama started, but stopped and didn't finish. My heart skipped a beat. Something was definitely wrong here...

"Kikyo-san, please, sit down," uttered Yukina, her voice soft and worried.

_**"Kikyo-san..."**_

"Where's Inuko?" I demanded, finally realizing who was missing. For some reason, my voice seemed different, like it wasn't mine; it was harsh, almost a growl. Keiko flinched slightly, no one responded. "Where the Hell is Inuko?"

Urameshi sighed and reached to his pocket. He took out a piece of paper and, without a word, gave it to me. I glanced at the small, italic handwriting.

_I have got the kid. -Shimofuri_

----

The wind blew through the open window, hitting the dark curtains and twirling inside the small room. Even though the walls were painted in a light green color, it seemed much darker than it should be.

The whole darkness seemed to flow from a single figure. The person, a female, was sitting on the bed, her knees pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around them. Her silverish hair was scattered around her messily, her usual glowing golden eyes were half-closed and dull. A big, shining sword with a dark handle and long sharp blade was laying beside her.

A soft knock made the woman jump slightly, her hand immediately compressed on the handle. Her muscles twitched.

The door opened slowly and a tall, red headed boy came in.

"Kikyo...? " Kurama called out, looking around in the dark hesitantly; he found nothing. Kikyo had disappeared, and so did her sword.

----

'Mistake'

That horrible word was circling in my head as my blade was cutting through another tree. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have stayed here in the first place, I should have taken Inuko and escape as soon as I had the chance. But no. I had stayed. And how had it ended? Koenma sent a special, skilled searching team all over the place to look for Inuko. With no luck. Skilled, my ass...

I knew that a half-demon like me shouldn't have stayed in one place for too long, the past keeps haunting me.

But, something was keeping me from moving on.

_'A feeling'_

Ever since I agreed on staying and becoming a Detective, I started to feel something I never felt before. It was warm and comfortable, something I've always imagine to feel when you're home. And I was sure, that Inuko was feeling the same.

'A bond'

I let out the air I was unconsciously holding and wiped the sweat from my forehead. _'Concentrate, '_ I told myself, shaking my head _'Concentrate, you must completely master the sword, so you will be able to avenge Inuko!'_

_''Avenge'? Hell, she didn't die or anything... She had been kidnapped! That's a difference, '_

_'Kidnapped by the demons, who took away everything from you and made your life miserable!'_

_''Miserable'?! Hey, it wasn't THAT bad... '_

_'Your whole life since the Rebellion was all about walking and running away from the past! You had to become a thief and a murderer! '_

_'One: Stealing is my biggest and probably only talent, to be honest._

_Two: Killing is my second nature! I'm a dog demon! '_

My two sides would argue more, but were brutally interrupted by a sound of footsteps from behind. My ears twitched and I took the opportunity as a training task. I closed my eyes and waited for the steps to come closer. To my surprise, they stopped. The area was covered with silence.

And then...

Something snapped. But not around me, on the ground or in the air. No. Something snapped _inside _of me.

My eyelids flew open and I did a 180 degree turn, my sword raised to my chest. Metal clashed against metal and the attacker did a back-flip. Hiei.

"Not bad," he admitted. I smirked and nodded slightly. After all those trainings I almost didn't feel the weigh of my weapon, I grew used to it. My movements changed from clumsy swinging around to graceful slashing.

Hiei lowered his katana and stared at me, waiting. I tried to hold his gaze, but I couldn't; quickly turning around, I picked up a fist sized rock, threw it in the air not too high and slashed it in two, horizontally. The pieces weren't perfectly half like I wanted them to be. That meant more hours of training for me.

"Inu-onna, " Hiei began. I closed my eyes shut and decided to ignore him. I didn't want to talk with anyone at the moment. I could do, or say something I'd regret later...

"Inu-onna, look at me. " his voice was louder and demanding.

_'Leave me alone,'_ I thought, a bit desperately.

_**'Look at me. '**_

'No!'

_**'Turn around.'**_

_'Leave me alone...'_

_**'Inu-onna!'**_

"SHUT UP!!" I cried out, spinning around in fury "How dare you... Who do you think you are?!"

Guided by the wrath, I lunged at the caught off-guard fire demon and began to blindly attack him, swinging my sword from left to right, up and down, without precision. Of course, Hiei blocked all of my attacks with no problem, but refused to fight back. Being in the weird state I was in, I took it as a sign of teasing and contempt. That only caused me to lose it completely.

"Calm down!" Hiei ordered loudly, but I didn't hear him. My ears were catching only the swishing sound I was making, cutting through the heavy air as dark clouds began to gather above us.

I felt something brushing against my legs and a moment later, I fell to my knees, my sword landing on the ground near me. Hiei had tripped me.

All of the anger poured out from me and I started to gasp for air greedily, exhaustion washing over my body. I was so tired...

"Baka inu-onna," Hiei knelt down oppositely to me. He slipped two fingers below my chin and slowly brought me to look at him. His eyebrows were narrowed, but his eyes held no anger nor contempt. At first I thought that they're emotionless, as always. But the longer I was looking, I discovered true feelings within his crimson red orbs: concern, sadness and a hint of sorrow. No pity. Maybe a bit of empathy, but no pity. I was relieved and glad. I'd hate to see pity in his eyes...

A rain drop fell on the ground before me, followed by another one, and another one... One of the drops fell on my nose. I crossed my eyes to see it, but when another one crashed on my nose, I blinked, startled.

_**'Cute...'**_

I blinked again and stared at Hiei, who turned his head away and blushed. He hadn't left my mind... I couldn't help but burst into fit laughter at his embarrassment. It wasn't THAT funny, but I couldn't stop laughing, my tail wagging automatically. I could feel Hiei growing more embarrassed and annoyed, but he stayed silent.

I felt a tear coming out from my closed eye. It wasn't from the laughing. I bowed my head lowly, so my hair covered my face, and let the tears get away freely. I wasn't able to fight them.

The laughter slowly died away, being replaced by silent sobs. As the rain poured faster and harder, my tears were falling non-stop, leaving crystal trails on my cheeks. I was crying.

Anger, frustration, helplessness, sadness.

I had lost my closest friend, almost daughter, and couldn't do anything about it. They had took her from the mansion, right from before me! And I, the great female thief and born murderer Kikyo, didn't do anything! _Anything_!!

"Why?! Why her?!" I hit the wet soil with my fist. My sharp claws dug into my flesh and warm blood poured from the cuts, mixing with the rain and tears.

I was so helpless.

A hand landed on my shoulder and I shuddered. I didn't deserve Hiei's presence around me, I'm just a helpless, dirty mutt, which everyone despise.

But...

I needed comforting. I needed to feel warm, inside. I needed to be released from those black thoughts. I needed attention. I needed... help.

Almost immediately, I threw myself forward and wrapped my arms around the once again greatly surprised Hiei. I buried my face in his chest and continued to cry my heart out silently.

It felt a lot better. As a fire demon, Hiei's body was much warmer than mine. His scent was very nice, 100% natural. Something forest-like. Very nice...

After a while, Hiei returned the hug, gently and hesitantly. When he became more comfortable with the situation, he began to stroke my hair and fallen ears softly. Somehow, it had calmed me a bit and the tears slowed down.

As if completely oblivious to the fact that the rain drops were crashing against my numb body, my eyes began to close. I couldn't fight the overwhelming darkness for too long and, after completely calming down, I fell asleep, still clutching onto Hiei's shirt. With the last piece of sense, I felt him picking me up. He sighed, his cold breathe tickling my skin.

"Baka inu-onna..." the fire demon repeated, but much softer than before, in a voice barely above whisper. With my lips curled into a tiny smile, I drifted to sleep.

_'Hiei... Thank you.'_


	16. Chapter 16

The finals came. At last. The rules were pretty simple; the Leader had to pick three fighters from his team (he could include himself), and each picked fighter had to battle with the opponent one-on-one.

Urameshi, being the very unorganized person that he is, decided that he'll pick fighters from his team just before the fights.

Right now, Yusuke was finishing the fight with the youngest neko kid. The Leader was winning a bit too easily, if you ask me. The neko had a lot of bruises and scratches from Urameshi's Spirit Gun, but still, he didn't defend himself. The kid was just dodging Yusuke's attacks and for me, it was pretty odd. As if the kid wanted to lower Urameshi's guard...

And I was right. The neko kid, who apparently got tired of being defensive only, knelt down on the mat and lunged towards the startled Yusuke, spinning his small body like a tornado. His speed was incredible! In no time, he reached his opponent and sent him on the other end of the mat. Urameshi crashed on the wall with force. He had lost.

Kuwabara and Kurama immediately ran up to the fallen Leader, but I had stayed on the branch, staring at the young neko. His hands were in his pockets and he was slowly walking off of the stage, with a super cocky smirk on his face. He seemed very familiar, especially with the way he was walking, as if he was the master of everything and everyone; confidence was flowing out of him.

His cat ear twitched and the boy noticed my hard stare and cocked an eyebrow. His eyes flashed with sudden realization and he showed me his pointy teeth in a grin. A dark blue aura surrounded him for a second and the next thing I knew, I was looking at... Kiken, Inuko's school friend. _'What the...?!'_

It was my turn to gasp and my eyes went wide. It was HIM! An illusion neko demon! He tricked Inuko, that's why they knew where to find her...

"You... Bastard..." I growled harshly, curling my fists. My tail bristled and I twitched, wanting to go and get him. Kiken, who already changed back, saw my reaction and winked, turning around and leaving the mat. I was ready to run behind him, catch him and kill him, right there, right now. It was all his fault...

I felt a firm grip on my forearm and turned to see Hiei also gazing at the neko's back.

"I'm next," he uttered calmly, getting up from the branch. On the opposite side of the huge fighting mat, I've noticed the white haired neko also raising from his seat, a short but thick wooden stick in his palm. A hand landed on his shoulders and Shimofuri, their leader, leaned closer and began whispering something in the neko's ear.

I gulped nervously. If the young neko was that good, what about that one? The white one was a lot older and probably more experienced in battles. And now, Hiei will face the white Cat...

I shook my head. _'Stop it,'_ I scolded myself mentally _'Have some faith in Hiei!'_

I chased away the stupid thoughts and glanced at the fire demon; he was staring at his opponent, analyzing his skills from the distance. The white haired neko seemed to be relaxed and was listening closely to what Shimofuri was saying. Nodding from time to time, the cat had been looking around lazily. His piercing red orbs had passed me without stopping, but when the Gray Neko told him something, his eyes landed on me for the second time, surprise and interest glittered in them. He smirked slightly, mouthing the words: Illusion Ice.

I scowled at him. The Cat finally looked away, still listening to Shimofuri. With a last nod, he squeezed his weapon (which I found a bit ridiculous, seeing that Hiei had a katana) and began walking towards the mat casually. Seeing that, the fire demon also moved forward.

I gripped the handle of my own sword and gulped nervously. I wanted to say something, but words froze in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to concentrate. _'Say something... C'mon, Kikyo! Say SOMETHING!'_ I was screaming in my head, biting my bottom lip.

"Hiei," I called out and regretted it; my mind went suddenly blank, I've forgotten EVERYTHING. I even didn't know why was I so nervous. Hey, it was JUST Hiei! Just...

The fire demon paused and threw me a questioning look through his shoulder.

"I... Uhh... I owe you something. So... Be safe, so I could, um... Give it to you... Sometime..." I ended lamely, stuttering the whole time. Hiei seemed amused by my shaky sentence and my bright red cheeks. He smirked.

"Hn."

----

The battle between Hiei and Set, the white neko, had begun. Set raised the short stick to his chest, holding it by its both ends, and jerked. The Cat took out two short swords, a bit longer than normal daggers from the piece of wood. He rested his arms to his sides, one sword in each hand, and bowed to Hiei. The fire demon snorted quietly and raised his katana, rushing forward in great speed. Set, with his eyes closed, stood still, but when Hiei was about to reach him, the Cat moved to the side and slashed his short sword. The blade cut through Hiei's skin, leaving a short, but deep bruise.

"You look like you'd swallowed a stick, Kikyo," I nearly fell from the branch as I heard Yusuke speaking from beside me. "Hey, hey, take it easy,"

"What the... How's your head, Urameshi?" I asked, seeing a bandage around his head.

"Well, it's fine, I got hit pretty badly, though," he uttered, sitting next to me. Kurama and Kuwabara took a seat also, eyes glued on the mat.

Hiei ignored the deep bruise on his arm and lunged at Set again. The cat did the same trick he'd used; he closed his eyes and waited for Hiei to come closer and then dodge his weapon.

_Left_

My eyebrows narrowed. Somehow, I was sure that the neko will dodge to the left. Without thinking further, I focused my thoughts towards the fire demon.

_'Hiei, left!'_

I didn't get any response, but I wasn't expecting one. I just hoped he'll listen...

Set waited calmly and, when Hiei was ready to strike, he jumped out of the way... to the left.

Hiei was ready for that; in a flash, he changed the direction and his blade dug into Set's side. The surprised neko hissed and pushed Hiei's katana away with his two short swords. Then, they began to battle using their sharp weapons, clashing them against each other and trying to reach the opponent. At that point, I began to watch intently, hoping to memorize at least some of their moves.

Much to my disappointment, the fighter's movements soon changed into a black and white blur as Hiei and Set started to hit faster and faster. Too fast for my eyes.

"Hey, I can't see anything!" Kuwabara complied, rubbing his eyes.

"Hiei's opponent isn't someone to be underestimated," Kurama admitted, having only slight difficulty with the fighting scene "He's able to keep up with his great speed and that is something."

"Yeah, maybe, but I'm sure Hiei'll win this one." Yusuke said confidently, crossing his arms. I had remanded silent, concentrating on the fight and catching glimpses of their movements.

I jumped and fell forward, startled, when someone had pinched my sensitive ear. I was so caught up in the battle, I barely managed to put my hands infront of my face to avoid crashing my nose on the muddy ground. The two idiots laughed loudly.

"Yusuke was asking, what do you think, Kikyo?" Kurama said calmly, trying to mask his smile.

"Hn," was my response, as I got up, feeling embarrassed.

"Oh, NO!" Kuwabara shouted with mock panic "Now Kikyo sounds exactly like the shrimp!"

"Aaaww, so _cuute_!" Urameshi said in a sweet voice.

"Shut up, okay?!" I felt my face heating up further. My eyes wandered around the crowd, searching for someone. But then, I remembered that THEY took her and I won't find her, smiling and cheering... I grew furious, I felt my hair spiking up.

"Hey, take it easy! We were just teasing you!" Yusuke waved his hands infront of his face sheepishly. I blinked, glancing at him. He thought that I'm mad at them?

"Kikyo..?" the fox, however, noticed the distant look in my eyes.

"I'll be right back," I said silently and rose from the branch.

"Hey, where are you -" Kuwabara was cut off by Kurama, who had put a hand on his shoulder.

"She's going to the cats!" Urameshi uttered, then turned to the red head "Should we go help her?"

"No, let her face her business alone," Kurama said calmly, watching me leave. _'Just don't do anything silly,'_ he thought to himself.

----

Shimofuri, who was watching the fight intently and with curiosity, standing close to the mat, slowly tore his gaze away from the fighters and set his gray eyes on me as I approached him and the rest of his team which was sitting on the branch. The leader smiled pleasantly.

"Well well... Look who the cat dragged in," he uttered calmly, the three nekos behind him snickered. My body was stiff as a broomstick, but I managed to act relaxed.

"Where is Inuko?" I asked, feeling a bit proud of myself; the tone of my voice was nearly polite.

"You mean your little friend? Oh, she's safe, no need to worry," Shimofuri smiled kindly.

"I wasn't asking that. I want to know where is she."

"So, you weren't worried about her?" the Gray Neko lifted his eyebrows "If I'd tell you that she's dead and her body's buried under a random tree, would you be pleased?"

I gulped slightly, feeling my stomach twist. He was playing with me.

"I know she's safe," I said, clenching my fists; it wasn't a lie. I had the strange feeling that Inuko is unharmed. My body shifted a little and I felt my sword, which was attached to my belt (just in case), rub against my waist.

"Your bond is that strong?" disbelief dripped from Shimofuri's words "If you know that, you should know where she is as well."

My nose wrinkled and my tail bristled as I began to lose it. He was playing with my mind, wanting to create a mess in my head. I had to think clearly...

Shimofuri, seeming somewhat satisfied, continued to watch the fight. The three cats, who were watching me with interest, disgust and/or contempt, also turned their heads away.

"You know, you are quite brave to come right into the enemy's lair, alone," my ear twitched as the Gray Neko spoke up suddenly "Or maybe..." he turned his head to gaze at me "Maybe it's just stupidity?"

I frowned. "You should learn something about your opponent before you'll insult him,"

"Oh, I know about you quite a lot, Kikyo," the old neko smiled again, but the smile was much darker than the previous ones "I was watching you carefully during the Rebellion... I know about your connection with the Illusion Ice and his pet... I've seen your first mission... My fighters were always near you when you were becoming an infamous thief... Not to mention you were so adorable as a puppy..." his smile changed into a smirk, his cat gray eyes flashing "It's YOU, who should learn something about your opponent, Kikyo-chan."

"You... You killed my father..." I choked out, panic raising inside of me within seconds.

"Yes, he was a serious opponent. He gave me so much joy during our battle..." the cat's eyes gleamed, as if he was having enjoyable flashbacks. After a short while, he came back to reality and gazed in my eyes "I'm hoping you'll give me much more... Or at least the same amount of fun... Will you?"

It took me a few seconds to realize what he was talking about. He wanted to fight me. On the mat, right after Hiei's match. My eyes narrowed and I tried to smirk.

"You shouldn't underestimate me, cat!" I growled, showing my fangs dangerously.

"Oh!" Shimofuri clapped "_Deja vu_! Your dear father had told me the same thing when we've met!"

I gritted my teeth angrily. _'Stay calm!'_ I yelled in my mind. With Shimofuri, one wrong move meant death. I had to choose my words carefully and wisely around him. One mistake – no second chance.

"Why did you do this? Who's Inuko for you?" my voice was shaking now, I couldn't help it.

"You think that she doesn't mean anything to me. Well, you're mistaken. She is a very important part of my plan." The cat explained "If she was standing beside you at the moment, safe under your wings, would you worry about her?"

"Enough" I barked "Where the Hell is she?!"

"I do not enjoy being ignored," for the first time during that conversation, Shimofuri'd spoke with anger "So I repeat: Would you worry about her if she was with you?"

"No..." I whispered, analyzing his words carefully "No." I repeated, this time confidently.

"See?" the neko smiled once again. What I've said seemed to prove his point "That's why I had to take her out of your sight."

"Bastard..." I growled once again; the way he spoke so lightly about Inuko's kidnapping made me lose it. Fortunately, my body still was listening to my brain. But my words weren't. "You sick bastard... I'll kill you!" I yelled in his face, spun around and took a step forward, wanting to leave the tricky old neko as fast as possible. I've managed to catch his last words:

"Oh! _Deja vu_ once again! Little Inuko-chan had told me this when she woke up!"

***SNAP!!***

I had lost it completely. Spinning around, I raised my arm and showed my teeth in a grimace of pure fury. Shimofuri didn't react at first, he waited for the last second, like Set. He caught my fist just when it was a bout to make contact with his face.

"Now, now, Kikyo-chan," he began, squeezing my fist painfully "Leave your energy for the battle! And, do me a favor, keep up the spirit, but clear the mind." He released me and once again he continued to watch the fight. The three nekos behind him glared at me with their glowing cat eyes and Kiken hissed. The were telling me to leave. Immediately.

----

I returned to my team with my head bowed lowly and sat down, my whitish bangs covering my emotionless face. Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara were watching me intently, but they said nothing. Thank goddness.

After calming down my shaking nerves, I slowly lifted my head and looked at the mat. Both, Hiei and Set, had a lot of cuts and scratches, their clothes were soaked with crimson blood.

I wasn't able to catch any details of the two fighting demons, thanks to my mind. The conversation with the Gray Neko was replaying in my head over and over again. And I hated it. I hated HIM.

_**"He gave me so much joy... "**_

_'STOP IT!!'_ I screamed in my head, burying my face in my hands _'I've worked hard enough and I CAN defeat him! I CAN avenge my father!!'_

_**"I'm hoping you'll give me much more..."**_

'I'll kill him! I won't give him anything other than DEATH!!'

_**"Will you?"**_

I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard a loud hiss. Set began to circle around Hiei so fast, it looked like he'd copied himself. I was right. When the white blur vanished, Hiei found himself surrounded by Set's illusion copies. All the cats were holding their two short blades pointed at the fire demon's neck. My heart skipped a beat.

All the copies were standing, not doing any move. They were waiting for Hiei to do something, so they could pierce through his throat and kill him. The copies were just illusions, they couldn't seriously kill, but one of them had to be the real one... Judging from Hiei's expression, he couldn't find the original, either.

I gripped the handle of my sword, furrowing my eyebrows. I knew this technique from somewhere...

_**A ray of sun broke through the dark green surface of the leaves and hit the water in the pond, catching my attention. Glancing at the pond, I noticed that every clone which was standing near the pond didn't posses a reflection. Only one of them had his water image.**_

That's right! It was the technique Kage had used against me to trick me!

_'Hiei! The copies do not have a reflection! Only the real one has!'_ I shouted in my mind. I saw Hiei glancing down at all the blades and moving his katana slightly to catch Set's reflection. After a while, I heard him in my head:

'Neither of them has a reflection,'

I grew confused. It HAS to be that technique! Unless it's mixed with something else...

_The ground exploded and a white flash flew in the sky, white mist surrounding it. A dark silver 'X' shone in the air and quickly fell down... right on Hiei_

_'Hiei, BELOW!!'_

Just as the thought left my mind, the mat behind the clone which was standing behind the fire demon exploded, just like in my vision. The real Set flew up, like a white flash. The clones disappeared in a puff of white smoke, which soon surrounded Set. The cat drew his two short swords and crossed the blades infront of his chest. An 'X' shape.

_'DODGE!!!_' I cried out in my mind, my voice unnaturally high. With my heart pounding, I watched as Set kept falling down on Hiei, while the fire demon raised his katana, his face stern and determinate. Then, the neko reached him and they both disappeared in a cloud of white mist.

"What just happened?!" Yusuke asked out loud.

"Dude... I think Hiei got his butt kicked..." Kuwabara said, not believing his own words.

"It was a powerful attack," Kurama mused, his brows furrowing.

"No..." I whispered to myself. _'I told him to dodge... Why did he stay there?!'_

_His ruby red eyes went wide as the blade pierced through his chest. A grimace of pain and anger stretched on his young and handsome face which began to turn pale. His hand grasped the blade, but he was too weak to pull it out. It was too late. He knew it._

_Letting out the last gasp in his life, he had surrendered to the darkness._

_'I'm sorry... I've... Disappointed you...'_

**"NOOOO!!!"**

----

Hiei pulled out his katana from Set's chest, hearing his opponent's last thoughts:

_'I'm sorry... I've... Disappointed you... Master...'_

Hiei sighed. It wasn't an easy battle, indeed. Set really was something; not only he was able to keep up with Hiei's amazing speed, but also connected two different techniques. It wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Hiei closed his eyes, panting heavily. When he heard Kikyo's voice in his head, he had to act super fast; he was ready to dodge, but stopped himself, fortunately. Set's blades were short, but they could've reach the fire demon, if he'd jump to the side or backwards. So, Hiei had to face the neko straight on. In that situation, the cat had no chance; Hiei's katana was much longer than his blades and it gave Jaganshi the wanted advantage. The katana's tip reached Set's chest faster.

"NOOOO!!!"

The white mist began fading away slowly and I saw a figure coming closer... To us.

"No way!"

"It's him!"

"He won, after all!"

When disbelief washed off of my teammates, it was time for happiness, joy, cheering. Only I was stuck on the branch, my wide golden eyes filled with tears.

"Hey, great job, man!" Yusuke uttered, excited, as Hiei came closer.

"Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" Kurama asked, eyeing the fire demon's bruises.

"Hn. I'll be fine." Hiei grunted, glancing at me. I turned my head away, so he wasn't able to see my tears, and began to dry my eyes with the sleeve of my uniform.

That's when I remembered. The 3rd and final match was about to start. In the corner of my eye, I saw Shimofuri standing up and sending me a smile, and evil one.

"Urameshi, I'm going to fight next," I said sternly, looking straight into the Leader's eyes.

"You sure?" he questioned, returning the gaze. The rest of the team looked at me also. I gripped my sword.

"I made a promise I have to fulfill." My features darkened as I remembered the talk with the Gray Neko.

Urameshi shrugged, seeing that he won't change my mind. And why should he, anyway? "If you're sure, go on then,"

I nodded shortly and started to walk towards the mat. "Thanks, Yusuke." I threw through my shoulder, my eyes glued on Shimofuri. My whole attention was focused on the approaching me cat demon, so I've missed the strange look Urameshi gave me.

"Did she just called me 'Yusuke'?!"


	17. Chapter 17

**The cold rain poured from the heavy dark clouds, which were slowly moving with the wild wind upon a big group of dog, wolf and fox demons. The army – males and females – were standing in rows, their faces dead serious.**

**Just as the thunder had lighten up the area, another army appeared; its amount of demons was nearly the same as the dog army, but its members were only cat demons. Just the leader – a tall, slim neko with gray hair and fur – had a circle of bull 'bodyguards' around him.**

**I was sitting at the top of a mountain far away from the two armies, on one of the rocks. Thanks to my mother, my body was growing much slower than the bodies of other demons. I was something around 80 years old now, but I looked like a 12-year-old Ningen kid, except the ears and tail, of course. They all considered me as a child.**

**Parents, who loved their children, had built an underground chamber, which was as big as half of the village. They've put some adult guards to protect the little demons from danger. The adults wanted the children to be safe, so they could avenge the village one day, if the dogs will lose. Because of my ridiculous looks, I had to sit in the chamber as well, acting like one of those brats.**

**But, thanks to my new pal, Youko (who nearly flirted the female fox to death) I've managed to escape.**

**My eyes were set on the two armies, which looked like ants from the mountains, and I was so excited, that I almost hadn't feel the heavy rain drops landing on my body. I knew my father was there somewhere, getting ready to kick some cat ass. I wasn't worried about him; I had no deeper feelings towards the demon. I didn't love him, that was forbidden for me. I wasn't aloud to talk to him. A dog demon, who was someone like a shaman and was able to cast spells on others, had put up a mental leash on my mind. Usually, that kind of things weren't aloud in that village, but the 'shaman' was my father's best friend. Connections...**

**However, I didn't hate my father, although he refused to accept me as his child. It wasn't my father's fault, that he fell in love with a mortal woman. It wasn't his fault that he was afraid to tell her the truth. It wasn't his fault that her parents were killed my demons, and she'd despise them. It wasn't his fault that I'm such a failure...**

**"Hey. Ready for the show?" my ear twitched as a familiar voice rang from behind. I smirked, glancing at Kage through my shoulder.**

**"Let the game begin," I said calmly. Just as the words left my lips, another thunder flash cut through the tense air and the two armies lunged forward, the first row of fighters crashing against each other.**

----

They say that when you're looking into death's eyes, your whole life is flashing like a movie in your mind. I wasn't sure if it's true, but the sudden memory of the beginning of the Rebellion made me think. I was looking into Shimofuri's dark gray eyes, my insides twisting and shaking in fear, my whole body was stiff and my muscles were tense.

Shouts, cheers, clapping... I heard none. Only my hear, which was pounding in my chest. My fist gripped the handle of my sword as the neko's eyes flashed and a cruel smirk sprouted on his lips.

_**'Inu-onna,'**_ an electric impulse ran through my body as I heard Hiei's voice in my head.

_'Any last words?'_ I tried to joke, but he hadn't found it amusing.

_**'You promised me something. I want it.'**_

I felt a small smile tugging on my lips. _'... Okay.'_

The connection faded away and the announcer gave us the sign to begin. Shimofuri wasn't hurrying. He started to calmly walk around me in circles. I've learnt that a dog cannot let the cat to be behind him, so I mirrored him and we were circling on the mat, gazing into each other's eyes. My brows furrowed slightly as I began to wonder what weapon will he use.

"It's YOU, who should learn something about your opponent,"

He was right. I should've prepared myself better, a lot better for this fight. But I hadn't. And now, I'll have to pay the price for my foolish ignorance.

"Did you enjoy watching Set fighting?" Shimofuri spoke up, taking out a small dagger from his sleeve.

"To be honest, I liked Hiei better," I said, feeling weird vibrations around me. Out of instinct, I raised my sword, just in time. The Gray Neko jumped forward with the dagger in his hand and clashed it against my blade. He jumped back in a blink of an eye and continued to walk in circles, his eyes on me the whole time.

"Of course you did," he smirked "Jaganshi is a very good fighter. Well, it isn't that big of a surprise," the cat shrugged a bit "He is a fire AND ice demon, after all. There's no human in him."

I frowned. He was insulting me again.

"Hiei Jaganshi is a full demon. Inuko-chan is a human. Tell me... Who are you, Kikyo-chan?"

"Stop yapping and fight!!" I growled, feeling my blood boil in my veins. I lunged at the cat, my sword high above my head, and aimed at his head. He easily blocked, using the little dagger.

"For the last time, Kikyo," his face was really close to mine and his deep growl vibrated in my ears painfully "I don't like it when I'm being ignored!"

He pushed my blade away with so much force, I flew through the mat and desperately tried to land on my legs, but Shimofuri appeared behind me and kicked me on the spot behind my knees. I fell on my all fours, the tip of his dagger touching my neck.

"Who are you, Kikyo-chan?"

_'Don't answer!!'_ my mind screamed as I tried to push myself up. I rolled my body away from the dagger and straightened up, but two hands grabbed my wrists from behind and twisted them backwards, a foot landing on my back. One push and my arms were doomed. And so was I.

"Who. Are. You?"

His voice was calm, but I could feel Shimofuri's losing his temper. I closed my eyes shut. Not even 5 minutes had passed and I was already loosing. Shimofuri was amazingly strong and fast... The pain was unbelievable...

"Don't be ashamed of who you are, Kikyo!"

My eyes opened as I felt a soft wave of a strange sensation flowing through my body.

"I am a half dog demon." my voice was sharp, even in my own ears. The grip on my arms loosened and the foot had disappeared from my back. I twisted my body around, my blade slashing through the air. Shimofuri was gone.

"See? It wasn't that hard now, was it?" he grabbed me by my shoulder and spun me around, his dagger once again blocking my sword. A fist made contact with my cheek and I fell to my knees, warm blood pouring from my nose and the corner of my mouth.

He was far from being serious with me. He was toying with me, wanting to break my concentration and make rage blind me. Somewhere in the back of my head, a thought began to form, swallowing all the hope like a black hole.

_'I cannot defeat him...'_

I shook my head and charged at Shimofuri, my soul burning with fury.

_'Yes, I CAN!!!'_

I began to punch and kick around blindly, hoping to strike at least once. No luck this time. The neko blocked all of my attacks smoothly and after a long time, when I ran out of breath, he kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying across the mat. I did some back-flips, not letting myself loose balance and fall. When a dog falls on the ground – it's dead.

Slowly regaining my composure, I gripped my sword and raised it. Suddenly, I felt weird vibrations which the sword sent through my palm. I felt a great wave of power, but as soon as it appeared, it'd vanished. Narrowing my eyes, I re-focused on the battle. Shimofuri was walking calmly towards me, the soft smirk never leaving his eyes. My heart began to beat faster and faster, as if it wanted to break my ribcage and set itself free... Free from the pressure I was feeling...

I couldn't stay calm, regardless to how hard I've tried. My insides were twisting in fear. _'You cannot win this fight...'_

My eyes never left Shimofuri's dark ones as the cat stood two feet oppositely to me, his dagger in his hand. He flashed me a small smile and... Vanished. I hated it. It made me... Unsure... Out of instinct, I started dodging, ducking and blocking the invisible punches, depending only on my ears. I did receive a few minor injuries, but what was hurting more, is that I hadn't managed to hit him even once. As panic and frustration was building inside of me more and more, my punches were less accurate.

All of a sudden, the air stopped moving. I froze, trying to catch the slightest movement. After a short while, I felt a gush of wind behind me and I turned around, my muscles tensing. Before I had the chance to do anything, a palm compressed on my forehead. A slight pain shot through my head and a white light blinded me. I fell into it, in a state very similar to unconsciousness.

_**A woman was sitting on a chair near the window, her long wavy black hair moving along with the cold winter wind which was pouring in through the half-open window. Her hollow dark brown eyes were set on the pure white snow behind the glass. The woman was looking like a ghost, which absolutely doesn't care about anything anymore. Inside, she was empty, she hadn't feel anything. Yet.**_

_**There was a soft knock and the door opened. A young girl in a nurse outfit came in quietly and stood behind the woman, looking at her back worriedly.**_

_**"Mariko-san..." the nurse started shakily "I... The baby... It's..."**_

_**"I know, Sai," the woman, Mariko, cut her off and added flatly, "It's a demon."**_

_**"Mariko-san..." Sai, the nurse, repeated in a whisper "What will you do...?" she asked softly, gripping the material of her snow white skirt.**_

_**"If you cannot face something, run away from it. "**_

_**The nurse blinked, surprised by the dull statement. She bowed uneasily and left the room.**_

_**Mariko tore her gaze from the winter scenery and glanced at a small table in the corner. On the table, a knife was laying, its sharp blade shining dangerously.**_

**_"Yes... Run away..."_**

My body made contact with the ground and continued to roll towards the edge of the mat. I was too weak to stop, but fortunately, I somehow landed on my knees and elbows, panting heavily. Cold sweat drops rolled down my face and fell on the ground as I tried to focus my thoughts and stand up. I felt greatly disturbed, black dots danced infront of my eyes, like annoying ants. My forehead burned in pain, it was horrible. Like someone had cut through my thoughts and ripped out a certain one, which was far in the back of my head.

I couldn't gather my thoughts, everything was slipping away. My stomach was twisting from time to time and I felt like throwing up. I coughed a couple of times.

"Did you like it?" Shimofuri whispered in my ear. I didn't dare to look up. The state was horrible and made me practically harmless. I couldn't even stand up, I was shaking so much. The cat's hand landed on my head as he continued, "That woman, Mariko, was your mother. Filthy human..."

I received a blow on the stomach which made me breathless. The mat and everything before me swayed in my eyes. The neko grabbed me by my hair and lifted my head painfully.

"Aren't you curious what happened next?" he whispered lowly and touched my forehead again "I'll show you..."

The blinding white light surrounded me once again.

_**Mariko was holding the knife with both of her pale, delicate hands. The tip of her blade was aimed at her chest, where her heart was beating rapidly. She was scared, but she knew that there's no other way. Demons had killed her parents and she couldn't bear the thought that she fell in love with one. What's more, she became a mother of a demon!**_

_**Mariko was disgusted, she couldn't live with such a shame. She breathed in, calming herself down. She forced herself to remember what came out of her. A child... With a while tail, white dog ears and white fur instead of hair. And big, horrible golden eyes which were prying into Mariko's dark brown ones, as if begging for forgiveness.**_

_**Mariko closed her eyes and gulped, her snow white face covered in a thin sheet of sweat. The tip of the knife twitched slightly and... Dug into her chest.**_

"GAAAAAAAHH!!!!" I clutched my head, afraid that it would explode. "STOOOOOPP!!!" I struggled with the pain and with Shimofuri's hand on my forehead.

"Enough already?" the cat smirked down at me. He couldn't help but feel somewhat impressed; he wasn't about to stop yet, he wanted me to see my mother's death till the end. But something in my mind had stopped him. Like a barrier, it started to push him out. The neko wasn't expecting any sights of defense, so he wasn't ready for that. _'Oh, but I haven't finished JUST yet, Kikyo...'_

I felt a jolt of power spreading through my body, pumping strength into my muscles. I bolted up and aimed a punch at the cat's right side of the face. He seemed to be distracted a bit and, luckily for me, he didn't block my punch. My fist crashed against his jaw forcefully, making him fly away from me, but quickly regained his composure. I threw another blow at his face, he caught it and returned the hit. It made contact with my hand and I squeezed his fist. We began wrestling like that for a while, not being able to do any movement because of the pressure. The mat cracked slightly under our feet and, as if on cue, Shimofuri's head flew towards mine. Out of reflex, I've backed away my own head, avoiding the crash. The cat wasn't ready for that type of action and his legs relaxed. Within seconds, I raised my own leg and before I fell down, I kneeled the neko on the face.

We released each other and the Gray Neko groaned in pain, wiping the blood from his probably broken nose. I didn't waste the precious time. Temporarily forgetting about our weapons which were laying somewhere on the mat, I started to throw punches and kicks, this time more precisely.

At first, Shimofuri couldn't block nor dodge some of my attacks, but he recovered pretty soon. He grabbed my arm and flipped me through his shoulder. I landed on my back, but quickly stood up on my feet, twirling around. My opponent's back was facing me, so I aimed a punch at his head. Just as I was about to reach him, the cat had disappeared. A millisecond later, I felt his breathe on my skin. And then there was awful, blinding pain. Almost immediately, my lower body turned limp from it. My legs shook warningly, not being able to support my weigh for too long. My vision blurred slightly, but then, everything sharpen. The pain was familiar to me, I had felt it many times before, but still, I wasn't able to fight it.

My tail. My weak point.

The cat was holding my tail firmly, with a calm smirk on his bruised face.

"Look here, Kikyo-chan, " he spoke up silently, raising his free right palm, the same which caused me the two previous headaches. I winced, preparing myself for another one, but the palm hadn't touched my forehead.

There was a black tattoo on Shimofuri's right palm, a kanji symbol, 'memory' , and a chain of thorns around it. I've heard some rumors about the 'mark, which could dig through your head', but the impulses of pain my sore tail was sending left me slightly lightheaded.

"Have you heard of that sign?" the cat asked calmly. My voice froze in my throat, so I just shook my head. Shimofuri sighed shortly before continuing, "It's a sign, which allows me to do a powerful attack," he explained calmly "By touching it with someone's forehead, I am able to pry into their minds and find the deepest, darkest and even long forgotten memories. Or, if I add more of my youiki, I can recall the memories of someone related to my opponent by blood. Like, for instance, your mother..." I let out a silent whimper as he squeezed my tail a bit "Of course, I don't have to add that the bad, dark memories are making the person weaker – mentally as well as physically."

My heart skipped a beat; there it was again. A strange wave of power washing over my weak body. My sword, along with the cat's dagger, were laying too far away, I didn't have time. I grabbed Shimofuri's right arm firmly, careful not to loose my grip too easily, and threw myself backwards, sending my whole bodyweight to crash against him. Caught off-guard, the cat had let go of my tail and as soon as I felt his fingers slipping away, I flipped him through my shoulder. Not letting go of his arm, I used all of my newly found strength and threw him in the air, his knees on my head level, and, with a deep, loud growl, I slammed him back down.

Shimofuri let out a frustrated cry as he pulled himself up and glared at me, blood pouring out from the deep cut on his cheek.

"Bitch," he hissed "You will pay for that!" with that, he disappeared.

Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and kept my mind wide awake. Without thinking, I threw myself towards my sword, my hands compressing on its hilt firmly. My ear twitched and I raised the blade slightly, only few inches above the ground. A second later, blood tickled from the tip and another hiss was heard. _'Yes!'_ I cheered in my mind. It was the neko who ran into my sword.

Then, everything was a blur, the action had rolled so fast, I was only able to see Shimofuri's dark gray eyes and his palm made contact with my forehead. This time, the pain was 3 times worse. As if a powerful lightning cutting through my head like knife through butter. The next thing I knew, whiteness and only whiteness...

_**A small girl was sitting in a dark room, her petite silhouette shaking slightly. Her short brown hair was shadowing her pale face, her dark brown, dull eyes were fixed on the dusted floor. Her clothes were covered in dirt and blood. Her small, pale lips parted as she heaved a sigh.**_

_**"Where are you... Kikyo-san...?"**_

I felt a metallic taste filled my mouth and I began coughing, spilling blood. I could hear Shimofuri groan beside me, but I paid no heed to the background. My head was spinning.

"Why... What are you doing, mutt...?" the cat groaned, rubbing his palm and glaring down at me. I, however, focused on the vision I've seen. It was Inuko. She was bleeding. She had been beaten. All... All because of... _Me._

Clenching my jaw painfully, I charged at the gray cat, my blood boiling in my veins, sending heat through my body. A moment later, I felt a palm crashing against my chin. The blow sent me flying across the mat, but I've managed to do a back-flip and land on my feet. However, the neko was faster, I could sense a bit of anger from him. More than usual, at least. But, before I had the time to think about it more, the painful white light consumed me again.

_**"Any last words?"**_

_**Inuko glared weakly at the dark figure before her. She took a deep breathe and spilled blood right on their face. The silhouette growled, wiping off her blood. "You little bitch," they said with disgust "You deserve to die. Now."**_

_**A sharp blade shone in the darkness and swished through the thick air. Inuko's piercing scream cut through the silence like knife through butter. Then, there was quiet. Gravely quiet.**_

"NOOOO MOOOOREEEE!!!!" a hidden power forced Shimofuri's attack out of my head. Something snapped quietly in the background. Unconsciously, I threw myself away from the panting cat, literally blinded by the pain. I felt something smooth and cool under my fingers; the dagger.

----

Shimofuri growled lowly, massaging his palm. A second before the mutt had pushed itself away, a jolt of unusual pain had hit his nerves, immobilizing him. Fortunately for him, it'd lasted only half of a second. However, things were getting worse. Kikyo was defending herself. Somehow_. 'What the hell is happening?!'_ he yelled in his head, biting his lip_. 'How is that... low-life defending?! My attack is impossible to block!!'_ glancing at the panting heavily Kikyo, Shimofuri frowned. _'Time to end this, filthy half-breed!'_

----

"I haven't finished yet!!"

My ears twitched as the cat yelled out, running straight at me. I had no idea what to do, but I felt something sparkle in the back of my head. As Shimofuri'd been coming closer and closer, the very unpleasant feeling that if I won't do anything, the hit will be the last one... For me.

The gray cat was inches away, his damned hand aimed at my forehead. I closed my eyes, my mind completely blank, trying to calm my nerves at least a bit. My fist clutched onto the dagger, waiting for the right moment.

"Die, mutt!!"

Snapping my eyes open, my muscles jolted. _'Now or never,'_ I whispered in my head and raised my hand; the one with the dagger.

The blade cut through Shimofuri's palm, its soaked with blood tip was shining with faint white light. The cat's pupils shrunk, and, to be honest, so did mine.

The dagger went through the middle of his palm, piercing right through the tattoo.

Shimofuri's scream pierced through the tense silence like knife through butter. I winced, putting my hands on my fallen ears. The noise made my vision blur slightly; the scream could freeze blood in my veins, it was filled with so much pain, I can't describe it. Somehow, I knew it; the tattoo was his strongest _and _weakest point.

The yell caused the mat to crack under my feet and I blinked; the fight hadn't end, yet. I ran up to my sword and grasped it, finally feeling safe and being able to fight back properly. I slowly looked up, hearing that Shimofuri had stopped yelling and was now panting heavily. I surpassed a gasp of shock; his usually dark gray eyes turned completely black, reminding me of two bottomless holes in his face which was stretched with anger. Fury. Wrath.

Blood was pouring from his mouth and his gray hair was spiked up, his cat tail was stiff as a broomstick. Furiously, the neko pulled out the dagger, causing the dark crimson liquid to flush from his wounded palm; the tattoo had vanished.

I knew I should've attack, the opportunity was more than perfect, but the cat's eyes had hypnotized me. My legs were paralyzed, my face was milky white. I could've sworn my blood was as cold as ice water.

"Y... You..." the cat hissed venomously, slowly calming down his trembling body "I'll... You... You're DEAD!!!"

"No, I'm not," I heard my own voice and a smirk crossed my _face 'Am I insane?!'_ "I told you, you shouldn't underestimate me. You have no right to roam across my head!" with that, I charged at the kneeling neko.

"You deserve only death!!" was his reply, as Shimofuri stood up and gathered reiki in his left hand. My ears perked up, alarmed; the reiki ball was bright white with a gray flame inside, a black aura around it. I stopped dead in tracks as I watched Shimofuri raised his bleeding right palm and toughed the weird ball with it.

A loud crash, explosion, earthquake and whiteness – that came next. The gray neko slowly faded away, his black pupil-less eyes never leaving mine's. I looked around trying to follow his scent or sound, but I couldn't. It was as if I'd been in the middle of a typhoon; the eye of storm. A wave of hot air hit my face and I remembered the vision. Dodging blindly, I missed a fist aimed at my head. I did some back-flips just to be as far away of the now invisible opponent as it was possible.

I glanced at the sword in my hand and remembered the person, who'd given it to me. _'I could really use some help now, Kage...'_

All of a sudden, the sword pulsed in my grasp, sending shivers through my arm, then the whole body, all the way to my toes. I tensed, wandering what was that, but it happened again, and again. Soon, the pulsing was like a heart-beat, steady and calm. It's silver blade was standing out in the whole whiteness, but then I've noticed that it's getting even darker and darker. Soon, the metallic color completely faded away, being replaced by pitch black. My eyes went wide, but I've solved the mystery quickly; a smirk appearing on my lips once again. I remembered Kage's words, the ones I thought I'd forgotten:

"Where's light, there must be a shadow"

_'Shadow... "Kage"... Hn, why, thank you, my friend'_ I raised my gaze sharply, meeting Shimofuri's wide eyes; I noted a hint of surprise, shock and fear.

"Ready?" I asked cheekily, taking a full swing. The cat didn't respond, only lifted his left hand, once again focusing reiki and creating a shield. "Well, here it comes!" I stopped breathing, gathering my whole strength on the blade. The sword vibrated, filling up with strange, but familiar power. Kage's energy.

"SHADOW SLASH!!" I swung the black blade and a wave of dark reiki hit the white wall, making it break. I sensed a wall of defense, so I pushed forward desperately. I knew that if I fail now; I'll loose.

We both struggled a while, wanting to defeat the other; light fought darkness.

But, something went wrong. The mat cracked even more, the surrounding of our battle broke in half before shattering into millions of black and white daggers which flew into the air and... came crashing down at us.

----

_**"How is it, Tataru?"**_

_**"You say 'it', as if the child wasn't yours, Ryoku-kun,"**_

_**The silver haired man scowled at his friend. "Just tell me."**_

_**The brown haired male scanned the small child before him with his deep dark brown eyes. The baby demon opened her eyes and stared right back at him. A tight knot formed in his stomach. "She's ready. The question is... Are you?"**_

_**Ryoku eyes the girl. Her huge golden eyes met his and she let out a small whimper of happiness, her little tail wagging. A cute bark left her throat. The adult demon frowned, turning his head away from his daughter. "Proceed." He uttered sternly.**_

_**Tataru sighed. "As you wish, my friend," he glanced up, studying Ryoku's features "Would you like to give her at least a name? A last gift?"**_

_**"... Kikyo."**_

_**"Kikyo-chan, huh?" the brown haired dog demon whistled lowly "The name of your very firs mate..."**_

_**"Tataru!"**_

_**"Okay, okay! Sheesh... What bit your tail?" Tataru rolled his brown eyes "Sleep well, Kikyo-chan," His index finger touched the girl's forehead gently before his whole palm covered her face – mainly eyes. A flash of icy blue light came next, followed closely by the baby's scream.**_

----

Here I was, standing on the cracked mat, facing the enemy of my life. The cuts the daggers gave me were burning, but I paid no heed to them; to be honest, I've never felt so calm during the whole fight like I was at the moment. Staring into Shimofuri's still black orbs, I've sensed that, while I was calm, he was growing frustrated. His dagger which somehow grew longer and looked ore like a sword was shaking in his hand.

"You filthy... Unworthy..."

"Cut the crap, Shimofuri," I cut him off, a small, confident smirk forming on my lips "This is the end. I may be a 'filthy' or whatnot half-breed, but I sure know, how to kick your ass."

This had drove the cat over the edge. The previous situation had made a 180 degree circle; it was me, who was pushing him further and further, making him loose his mind to wrath.

"DIE, MUTT!!!"

"Oh, deja-vu?" I mocked, raising my pitch black sword "Pathetic."

Then, without anymore mindless talk, we charged at each other, jumping high in the air and taking a full swing. I could feel adrenaline pumping through my veins painfully.

"GHHHHAAAAAAH!!!!" our scream echoed through the tense, heavy silence and, in the exact same time, we slashed.

Piercing pain shot through my body and I clutched the deep wound on my stomach, feeling the cold blood flowing out through it, between my limp fingers. I landed on the ground shakily, falling to my knees and panting heavily, exhaustion running over my slowly going numb body. I knew what that meant.

"I won."

----

Hiei's eyes went wide as he felt a sudden wave of power from the mat. He saw two blurs in the air and a fountain of blood shot from them. His heart skipped a beat as he tried hard to see, who's who. For some reason, the fighting area was fogged up, making it difficult. _'Probably the waves of their youki,'_ he mused to himself. _**'Inu-onna... Kikyo... What the hell's happening?!**_**'** he tried to contact her telepathically, but when she didn't respond, the knot which formed in his stomach tightened.

"Where's Kikyo?" Kuwabara was staring intently into the mist.

"She's taking too damn long in there!" Yusuke shouted out, curling his fists. Already 3 hours passed since the beginning of the battle and still nothing. _'That cat... He's something... But Kikyo should do it!'_

"Shut up, idiots!" Hiei snapped, narrowing his eyes, but still not turning his gaze away from the mat. _'You promised...'_

"Hey, don't snap at us, Shorty! It's not our fault that your girlfriend is stuck in there!" Kazuma defended himself. The fire demon sent him a fierce glare.

"What the hell are you talking about, idiot? Kikyo is not my... _WHAT?_" Hiei demanded, noticing that both, Yusuke and Kuwabara were staring at him, as if he'd grown a second head. Even Kurama, who was silent for the whole time, sent him a curious glance before hiding his smile.

"Dude.. Did he just..." Kazuma started, looking deeply shocked.

"He just... Said her name... For the FIRST time since he'd met her!" Urameshi uttered, his wide eyes never leaving Hiei's more and more embarrassed face. Ten, a cheeky smirk formed on his lips. "Whatever happened to the good old 'inu-onna', huh?"

"Idiots..." Hiei repeated, avoiding their eyes.

"Aaaw, Shorty's embarrass-"

"There," their attention focused abruptly on Kurama, who was staring at the mat, disbelief and joy washed over his face. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei followed his gaze; the fire demon had the impression that his blood turned icy cold in his veins. However, every single feeling vanished, melted away thanks to the hot wave of relief; his wide eyes landed on a shadowed silhouette. His heart-beat increased; he'd recognize the figure everywhere..

Kikyo was walking towards them, limping slightly. She was clutching onto her stomach as blood flowed from the deep wound, her face was covered in cuts, blood and dust, her hair was messed up and dirty. The dark blue outfit she wore was ripped in several places and soaked with red liquid. The right sleeve was completely cut off, showing her bruised arm.

As if completely oblivious to her current state, Kikyo was moving gracefully, her figure straightened up proudly, a soft smirk of satisfaction on her lips. Only her eyes showed, how much she was exhausted.

"Yo,"

----

"Hey, doggy! Good job!!" Yusuke laughed whole-heartedly, smacking me on the back. I gasped as sharp pain shot through my body.

"Moron," I hissed, feeling tears gathering in the corner of my eyes.

"Whoops..." Urameshi sweat-dropped, scratching the back of his head sheepishly "Sorry..."

"Magnificent fight, Kikyo." Kurama smiled and I returned it weakly. My mind hadn't analyzed the information yet, letting it sink slowly and carefully.

"Woot! Good girl, Kikyo!" Kuwabara shouted, making me wince slightly.

"Yeah! Want a reward? A bone maybe?" Yusuke chided in cheekily, bursting with laughter once again.

*SMACK**SMACK*

The two backed away, massaging the large bumps which were forming on their heads as I gritted my teeth, my curled fist shaking.

"Hn," I turned to Hiei, but he wasn't looking at me; he was facing the opposite direction, his arms crossed.

_**"Hiei Jaganshi is a full demon. There's no human in him."**_

My ears dropped as I lowered my gaze to the ground, away from the fire demon, suddenly feeling very sick. It was true. Hiei WAS a full demon. But... Why did I felt so sad...?

_**'... Congratulations'**_ I blinked, surprised upon hearing Hiei's quiet voice in my head. Still not facing him, I smiled to the ground gently. _'Thanks,'_

"So, you have won," Kurama stated, putting a hand on my shoulder, carefully avoiding my bruises. Reality came down crashing on me; I almost bent down under its pressure.

"I didn't... They did... I..." tears blurred my vision as I squeezed Kurama's warm hand. My throat was as dry as the most merciless desert "I... I lost..." _'Inuko-chan...'_

_'Kikyo-saan~!'_ her soft, joyful voice echoed in my head.

_'Kikyo-san!'_ it became louder and more desperate.

_**'Kikyo-san!!'**_ it seemed so real...

"Kikyo-san!" my heart stopped beating for a couple of seconds and my eyes grew wide, the tears already gone and forgotten. That voice... It didn't came from inside of my head...

"Inu... ko?" I whispered harshly, lifting my head. Someone was running towards us. It was a girl with short dark brown hair, deep, sharp brown eyes and pale face, thin brooks of crystal tears running down her cheeks; she appeared hardly 13, but her aura was much more mature. On top of her head, a pair of dog ears were twitching, I noted a dog tail wagging at the end of her spine. Her reiki was much higher that Inuko's, but her scent was the same. However, the scent can be very deceptive, I should know. Still, seeing her, my heard began pounding in my chest, painfully pushing on my ribcage. Surprisingly, the feeling wasn't all that unpleasant. Quite the opposite, actually; I felt warm waves of fresh energy pumping through my tired body. _**A bond...**_

"Kikyo-san," the demon girl panted out, coming closer to the stunned group "I... I don't know what happened... I just..."

I fell to my knees and pulled the panting girl to me, wrapping my arms tightly around her shaking figure in a warm embrace. Fresh tears started to roll down my cheeks, but they were tears of joy. The relief I felt was almost painful, but I'd live through it again and again if it was necessary.

"Inuko-chan..."


	18. Chapter 18

**Inuko pulled up her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her head on top of them. Heaving the hundredth sigh, she gazed around the small chamber-like room. **_**'Where are you, Kikyo-san...?'**_** she thought, her eyes set on the little hole in the wall – the 'window'. The sun was slowly making its way towards the horizon line, giving the sky a delicate orange color. The young girl tugged a stand of her messed brown hair behind her ear, her face turning thoughtful. Why was she here? Where IS 'here', anyway? And... Inuko flinched when she remembered one of her kidnapper's face. **_**'Why Kiken-kun...?'**_

**All of a sudden, the door of the chamber flew open, banging on the wall loudly. A tall, slim man with dark blue, nearly black hair framing his stern, slightly sneering face and two proudly perked upwards dark blue cat ears on top of his head entered the room, his dark furred cat tail swishing the air behind him. His glowing, glaring eyes immediately fell upon Inuko, who curled up her fists discreetly. The girl tensed up, watching him warily. A cat demon.**

**"What are you staring at, filth?!" the neko snapped, glaring at her fiercely. He was daring her to talk back, but she wasn't stupid; in response, Inuko just narrowed her eyebrows at him and stayed silent.**

**"My master, the Great Gray Neko, is seeming to – which is quite unbelievable – loosing the fight with your precious mutt." The cat uttered, his glare never leaving Inuko "With your bond so strong, it is possible to use YOU to weaken HER." He took out a simple whip from behind "Get up."**

**"Screw you." Inuko spat out, returning the hard glare. A strange wave of tiredness flown through her body, exhaustion overwhelmed her. She had enough, all of a sudden.**

**The neko blinked, taken aback by the rude answer, but quickly regained his composure. "Getting warriory, eh? We'll have to change it now, won't we?" with that, he raised the whip and brought it down with a loud swishing sound.**

**Inuko felt the whip cut the skin on her arms and legs. The sharp pain was soon followed by a strange, burning sensation within her. She bit her lip in order to prevent herself from screaming, but still stubbornly refused to stand up.**

**"Get up!!" the nameless cat cried out, his whip slashing again and again, leaving bloody trails on the girl's arms and legs, as the limbs turned red and sore. She clenched her eyes shut, feeling tears gathering in the corners. Hot flames of pain spread through her body...**

**Suddenly, Inuko heard a snap. But it didn't come from the whip; the sound came from **_**inside**_** of her. The burning pain was replaced by a weird sensation, something Inuko had never felt before. The sensation filled her veins, chilling her blood. It seemed as if all the physical pain she was feeling gathered in her head as it throbbed. The girl clutched it, feeling the air leaving her lungs. She had no longer felt the whip contacting with her skin, she felt paralyzed. Only the head was a source of a feeling. Her ears and nose turned cold, as if frostbite. An arrow of pain shot through her spine, making her back arch. A dark curtain covered her eyes and she squeezed them further, the tears getting free and rolling down her cheeks. All of her inside organs made a fast, painful 360 degree twist, making her want to throw up. She'd do anything to ease the pain. Her muscles turned into ice blocks, out of order.**

**"Heh, enough already?" the cat demon sneered down at her, seeing her agony.**

**At the sound of his venomous voice, Inuko's eyes snapped open. It was as if someone'd turned the switch 'on'. The dull pain was pushed aside by a burning desire, pure bloodlust. She wanted to tear something, or someone, into piece. She **_**needed**_** to do it. Now.**

**Lunging forward, she'd caught the neko off-guard, digging her longer nails into his chest. The startled cat yelped, dropping the whip as sharp fangs sank into his throat. His muscles tensed and Inuko struggled to steal her opponent's life. She knew that if she success, she'll be able to get out of that hell and find Kikyo-san... But, if she won't... Then she'll die.**

**After a couple of seconds of struggling, Inuko felt her teeth reaching the neko's artery. Driven by the indescribable desire to crush it, she squeezed her jaws with all her might. More blood came spilling on her face and she felt her opponent's whole body shaking under her grasp. He fell down, the girl going with him, still clinging to his chest and neck. Soon, the cat demon was dead, fear and surprise frozen in his soulless eyes which were set on his murderer.**

**Inuko got up from the ground shakily, consciousness slowly sinking into her brain. Getting rid of the blood from her eyes, she blinked a couple of times. She killed. For the first time, she killed a real opponent, in a real fight. She killed just like Kikyo-san when they were in danger. As she carefully examined the body before her, the familiar pain returned with full force. She raised her hands to her head and let out a short cry. Suddenly, she felt something weird under her fingers. Between the stands of hair, she felt... fur. Checking it out, Inuko realized that her ears vanished; instead, another pair of long, furry ears had taken their place. Her new ears were catching much more sound then normally. Birds chirping, water dripping, wind blowing through the leaves outside...**

**As she looked through the small hole she noted that her eyes had sharpened, too. She could see every detail, every color. She blinked, startled by her new, sharp vision.**

**Also, Inuko's nose had developed stronger sensitivity. Beside the strong, metallic-like scent of the blood, she was able to smell many different scents mixed with the fresh air outside. But, strangely enough, she could smell... **_**death**_**.**

**Those all new sensations gave her a major headache, but slowly, Inuko was slowly getting used to it and actually... liking it. Something brushed against her left thigh and she let out a soft gasp, immediately looking down. What she saw made her gasp again, much louder, and her eyes widened to the size of plates.**

**A tail. She had grown a dog-like brown tail. And it was **_**wagging**_**…**

"I've managed to escape somehow, and the next thing I know, I've picked up Kikyo-san's scent. I've followed it and... found you." Inuko ended quietly, gazing down at her folded fingers, her ears falling slightly. The whole room drowned in silence, everyone's eyes fixed on the girl. Without thinking, I raised my hand and began to stroke her just behind the ear, making her tail twitch. She relaxed a bit, throwing me a brief, thankful glance.

"So," I blinked, turning to Koenma "What the HELL does THAT mean?" this earned me odd stares. I bristled, staring at the baby demandingly. Hey, you can't blame me; one day, Inuko gets kidnapped. I see her being killed. And next, she appeared with a tail and ears very similar to my own. Seriously, how would YOU act?!

"That's certainly a strange case..." Koenma mused out loud, folding his petite hands on the desk, his eyes never leaving Inuko's figure.

_'No shit, Detective Obvious,'_ I thought sarcastically, frowning at him.

"Well, at last, some things are finally clear," the baby carried on "From the beginning, I've been sensing a strange reiki around Inuko. I have done quite a lot researching from that day, but they all turned out to be fruitless. Until today..."

6 pairs of waiting eyes fell upon Koenma as he trailed off, letting the sentence hanging. After 5 seconds of silence from his side, I grew impatient.

"Care to elaborate, Binky-Breath?"

At this, Yusuke snickered. "I guess I'm rubbing off on you, doggy,"

A vein popped on the side of my forehead and I threw him a glare. "Shut up."

Koenma took out some files and cleared his throat. "According to these files, to the day of the change, Inuko was living under a spell, a very complicated one. To that day, she was living like, and as, a normal human, but inside, she was a demon from the very beginning."

An eerie silence overcame the room as the piece of shocking information was sinking into our brains. Inuko? A _demon_?!

Of course, Kuwabara caught very little of it.

"...Huh?"

Mentally, I growled and had to bit back a few comments I desperately wanted to share. It wasn't all THAT complicated!

Koenma sighed. "Inuko was BORN a demon, though her true appearance and power was hidden behind a barrier someone had put on her."

"Oh... So, why didn't we sense it?" my orange-haired teammate asked boldly, causing us all to face-fault.

"YOU IDIOT!!" I bellowed.

"Hn. Have you checked if your ears are clean lately?" Hiei muttered, rolling his eyes irritably.

"HEY, -" like a flash, I appeared behind Kuwabara and gave him a nice, big bump on the back of the head, silencing him.

"Continue," Kurama chided calmly.

"As I said, Inuko's demon nature was caged inside of her. But, who had cast that spell? What for?" Koenma questioned rhetorically, glancing at each of us. Then he took out a certain paper marked 'CRIMINAL'. I furrowed my eyebrows. _'What the hell -?'_

"As soon as Inuko here came into my office, I've recognized her reiki immediately," the baby grimaced as an unpleasant memory crossed his mind.

"How come?" Kurama spoke up, looking thoughtful. In response, Koenma held up the paper for us to see. In the upper left corner there was a picture of a young man with messy brown hair and shining deep brown eyes, very similar to Inuko's. He was winking playfully, his lips stretched in a wide grin, his pointy fangs exposed. "Kisai, Tataru. A full-blooded dog demon, also one of the few known masters of the art of magic, able to cast several kinds of spells..." the Ruler's Son threw us a knowing glance, but kept reading "A prankster and thief, been in jail 4 times, escapes: 4... What a drag..." he groaned "One of the fighters in the Gray Neko Rebellion, died on the battlefield. His mate: Miyuki, no last name, a dog demon as well." I saw Koenma twitch before he read the last line: "Partner-in-crime of Inumaru, Ryoku."

_Inumaru, Ryoku_

My ears twitched upwards, eyes wide, but thankfully no one seemed to notice. Inumaru Ryoku. My father...

"Without a doubt, you, Inuko are the child of Kisai... Wait a minute..." Koenma's voice snapped me out of my musing. "It doesn't say that Tataru had a child... But it's impossible! Your youki is early _the same_!"

I felt a light bulb turning 'on' somewhere in the back of my head. "So, the almighty Koenma doesn't know it all, huh?" I sneered, suddenly feeling very intelligent. At the baby's glare, I continued, "Why do you think Tataru had put a spell on Inuko, hiding her real identity?" I paused, glancing at my surprised teammates, then at the Ruler's Son himself "To erase her from the world."

I caught Inuko's eyes going wide, her body froze under my hand. I squeezed her hand, regretting what I've said... When the sudden rush of inspiration hit me again. Somehow, I knew.

"Tataru had cast a spell on Inuko to hide her demon side. Then, he left her in a human village, far away from his, and her, home. A Ningen family took her in and raised her, but then I came and took her with me."

"But, why did this Tataru guy leave his daughter in the first place?" Yusuke asked.

"Maybe... For protection?" I stopped, gathering my thoughts as fast as possible. "Well, if Inuko was born during the Gray Neko Rebellion, then... Her father didn't want her to die..."

"Kikyo?" I looked at Koenma, who was staring at me as if I grew a second head. "How do you _know_ all this?"

"I... I, um..." I stuttered, the inspiration gone. Smiling sheepishly, I mumbled, "That's a good question."

"HELL YEAH, WE WON! LET'S HAVE A PAAARTYY!!!"

I sat down on the couch, glaring at the eager Yusuke. "Let's not."

"Aw, come on, Kikyo! It's going to be fun!" he shouted, a huge grin on his face.

"Nah, I'd rather not," I closed my eyes, crossing my arms stubbornly. My ear twitched as a sound reached it. Though it was very faint, it was oddly familiar... Getting up, I went to the window and sat on the windowsill, pretending that nothing happened, in reality listening intently. It happened again. A long, muffled howl. Careful not to be seen by anyone in the room, I stared at the glass and let a small, genuine smile sprouting on my lips. _'Heh, the info spreads fast...'_. It was Akari. Congratulating me.

Later that night, Inuko came to my room as always and we both decided to take a midnight walk around the mansion. The stars twinkled upon our heads, lightening our path.

"Inuko," I began "How do you feel?"

She looked at me, her big, sharp brown eyes shining with confusion. "Fine, I guess..." she said hesitantly. I smiled sheepishly.

"No, that's not what I meant. How do you feel being a demon?"

"Oh! Well, I must admit, it was a bit... weird in the beginning, but I'm slowly adjusting myself to it!" Inuko sent me a smile, which I returned.

"Was it... Painful? You know, the change?" I questioned again.

"A bit... Yes," she admitted "But everything's fine now, really! It's like... My dream came true!"

I smiled, remembering her words. _'Yeah... Some dreams Do come true...'_

"Kikyo-san?" Inuko's quiet voice made me look at her, getting rid of those thoughts. "Why that day, of all days?"

My face turned thoughtful as I concentrated, searching for the unknown spark of inspiration that had stroked me earlier. I didn't found it.

Though, it found me, instead. I stopped walking, making Inuko pause as well and glance at me. I wasn't sure, but... A small grin appeared on my lips as I bent down, suddenly hugging Inuko tightly, startling her.

"That's because of the date of your birth!" I said, squeezing her "Happy 13th Birthday, Inuko-chan!"

The girl laughed, remembering as well. As we both hugged each other, we missed a pair of deep red orbs staring at us from one of the windows, a small smile sprouting on the person's lips.

----

"That was really great, Kurama!"

"Yes, it was delicious!"

"Seconds, please!"

"More like twenty-thirds..." I muttered to myself, smirking at Kuwabara.

"Twenty-thirds, then! Wait... HEY, YOU -!"

Hiei snorted. "So slow..."

"Now now, don't fight, children!" Kurama cooed, smiling.

"Yeah, children!" I nodded, waving my finger at them.

"Oh, get a bone," Yusuke crossed his arms.

"Only if it's yours!" I snapped back, bristling. I'm not a friggin' DOG, dammit! A DEMON!

The Leader faked a gasp. "Kikyo, you're _flirting_ with me!"

"Ha, am NOT!" _'You friggin' wish!!'_

"Are too!"

"Shut up, Yusuke!" Keiko yelled at her boyfriend and hit him upside the head, making him wince.

"But she started it!"

"Did not," I retorted calmly, sticking out my tongue behind Keiko's back.

"Let's watch a movie!" Botan chirped in, clapping her hands. "A nice romantic comedy will definitely make everyone better in no time!"

"NO WAY!!" Yusuke, Kuwabara and I shouted altogether, our voices mixing in a loud roar.

As we sat there, bickering and entertaining the rest, a sudden chill made my body shiver. I widened my eyes, my eras perking up; the sensation was very familiar to me, but yet I couldn't name it. I heard the water running in the kitchen, but it wasn't that. It was a strange, hollow sound, something like echo. It sounded as if it was calling me by my name softly. Wanting me to come...

Sneaking a glance at Inuko, I could tell that she felt and heard the same. Her eyes were big as tennis balls and unfocused, her ears were straight up and vibrating slightly, obviously catching the sound as well.

"HEY, DOGGY!!" I jumped two meters up at the sound of Yusuke's shout.

"Inuko-chan, are you feeling well?" Yukina, who was sitting next to Inuko, put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, looking a bit concerned at the sight of Inuko's pale face.

"Y-yes, I'm okay... Thank you." Inuko replied politely, still looking slightly out of it.

"You here, Kikyo?" Botan's high voice rang from behind me. I glanced at her unsurely, but faked a small smile nonetheless.

"Sure I am," I said, fully aware of the fact that everyone was staring at me. Feeling my cheeks burning, I got up from my seat "I'll go help with the dishes,"

I stepped into the kitchen, releasing my breath. _'Why do I always have to be in the center of attention?!'_ frowning, I rubbed my temples, feeling a major headache coming _'Why me...?'_

_**'Hn.'**_

_'Oh, hello Hiei,'_ I thought, sarcastically.

_**'What was that?'**_

_'What's it to you?'_

_**'Answer me.'**_

"Kikyo?" I blinked, looking up. Kurama was staring at me curiously, his hands loaded with dishes.

"Eh?" I asked stupidly, pushing out Hiei from my head. Literally.

Kurama eyed my face "You're very pale. Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really! I just had a rough day, that's all," I lied, smiling a bit to cover it up.

_**'Lia**__**r.'**_

_'Am not.'_

"So, why aren't you resting?"

"I... I just wanted to help you a bit,"

_**'Lia**__**r.'**_

_'Am NOT.'_

Kurama smiled politely. "That's very nice of you, but really... You should get some rest."

"Nonsense, I said I'm okay now."

_**'Lia**__**r.'**_

"AM NOT!" I clapped my hands over my mouth, my face heating up. Kurama raised his eyebrows at me.

"Pardon?"

"No, no, sorry..." I mumbled, feeling like an idiot "It was -"

"Hiei?" Kurama finished, smiling knowingly before returning to the oh-so-lovely dishes. I sighed, taking a seat on one of the counters.

Kurama continued to wash the dishes, a small smile never leaving his face. "You look like you need to talk," he spoke up. When he got no response, he peered through his shoulder to look at me. My whiteish bangs shadowed my face, my head was hung low and ears fallen. "Kikyo?" the red head tried to gain my attention, but I haven't look up, my eyes fogged up.

_'She's considering it...' _the red haired teen heard a well-known voice coming from inside of him.

_'What do you mean Youko? Considering what?'_

_'Leaving...'_

Kurama nearly dropped the plate he was holding. _'What?!'_

_'It's calling her again. Her and the little one.'_

_'You mean Inuko-chan? What is calling them? Youko, what's going on?'_

_'She'll leave. She always does.'_

_'Youko!'_ Kurama called out for the fox thief, but only silence greeted him. Youko sounded so mysterious...

"Kikyo, what -" the red head turned around abruptly, but noticed that the dog demon disappeared from the kitchen...

---

"Kikyo?"

Oh great. Just when I need some peace and quiet to think, to make a hard decision... but NOOO WAYYY, they just _have_ to come and annoy me. This time, it was Botan.

"What?" I snapped rudely.

The door opened and the always smiling and hyper, blue-haired girl showed up. "Koenma calls for you,"

"Do I look like I care?" I turned away from her, glaring at the window.

"It's urgent." Botan said slightly sterner, walking into my room. "Should I drag you down with me? Oh, have I told you that I've bought this uberly cool, cute-looking kimono yesterday? It's, like -"

"I'll be on my way" before she had the chance to continue her babbling, I was already out of the room, passing her in a flash. Faintly, since I was out of the room, I heard the Grim Reaper say cheerily, "That's what I thought."

---

"Ah, Kikyo, welcome." Koenma greeted me, not looking up from the small pile of paper.

"Hn."

"You sounded much like Hiei right now," he said absent-mindedly, making me scowl. Time was running out.

"There's no time to waste, Binky Breath, if you don't mind, could you start talking?" I growled, crossing my arms impatiently.

"As you wish," finally, the baby raised his head and looked at me sternly "During your final match with Shimofuri you've sent odd waved of youki – that was certainly not YOUR own - into the cat's body, which was a defense at first, but then turned into pure offensive. Care to explain?"

I blinked, recalling the moment. "I know what you're talking about, but seriously; I have no idea what happened." I admitted.

"Hm... Well, I do."

"Yeah, it was -" I twitched "YOU DO?! Then, why the HELL were you asking ME?!"

"Calm down, I don't want anyone to come and interrupt," Koenma ordered "It's because of your Curse."

"My... what?" I stared at him, confused. "Curse? What Cur- Oh." THAT Curse.

"Yes, indeed." The baby nodded "It made me think about it a lot recently and I came to a conclusion; I am guessing that when Tataru had cast the mind barrier spell on you, he _accidentally_ gave you some of his youki. And that youki had released itself during the fight, under the pressure of your will."

There was a short pause, then I said, "So, do I still have the youki?"

Koenma sighed. "I do not know. I think that if you still have it, it'll release itself again, though against your will, or if you'll really, I mean **really** want and need that. But, to be honest, I doubt that you do possess it. From the beginning, it was just a small amount and you could use it all."

"Hmmm..." I said quietly. I was quickly gathering my thoughts and was fighting an inner battle whenever I should ask the baby something that was bothering me, or not. Finally, I've made up my mind.

"Koenma... During my fight, Shimofuri had... _Showed_ me Inuko's... torture..." I paused, waiting for an answer. Hell, if he knows so much, he can share!

"Ah, yes, I thought that he'll do that to you." The baby nodded "It's a slightly different attack than his usual 'memory recalling'. This one _creates_ a fake memory that can weaken you 10 times more than any other. Shimofuri is one of the very few demons who can actually master that attack. But, you're the one of the very few who _survived_ it. Now, we both know why."

Silence overcame the room as I began musing about the new piece of information.

"Oh. Okay..." I stated simply after a moment. "So, if that's all, I'm going to bed."

As I headed towards the door, I heard Koenma's last words spoken rather quietly, but still clearly. "Goodbye, Kikyo."

He knew.

---

"Inuko...?" I walked into her room as quietly as I was able. The girl looked up from a book she was reading and gazed at me, surprised.

"Yes, Kikyo-san? What is it?" she asked, seeing my unsure, pale face. I gulped, sensing the weird feeling once again. A hollow howling...

"Do you... _Feel _it?" I questioned her, sitting on her bed next to her.

Inuko's face turned thoughtful, a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. "Yes, I do. I've been feeling it for the whole time..." she looked at me "Kikyo-san... What does that mean?"

I bit my lower lip, suddenly sharing her sadness. I knew we both didn't want that. But, it's stronger than our personal desires. It's stronger than us. It's a part of us. "That means... That we have to... Listen to it." I stared into her eyes, seeing her emotions shine in the deep brown color. She really didn't wanted to. She had friends here. And... So did I.

"There isn't... Any other way?" she asked softly, fighting back tears. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see her cry.

"No."

The huge door shut closed behind me quietly as I excited the mansion, feeling the cold wind surrounding me and giving me chills. It was the middle of the night, everything around me was quiet. The sweet silence. I brought my head up and gazed at the stars which were twinkling upon me. The full moon was hidden behind a thick curtain of dark clouds, so there was no light. I frowned at the sky. i'What's the damn matter with me, anyway?! I've done this thousands of times before and yet, this time was somehow... different.'/i For some strange, unknown reason, I didn't want to go. Not this time.

_**"I have friends here"**_

I growled loudly, frustration building up inside of me. Inuko is still a child! A... A pup! She doesn't understand that we, stray, wild dog demons, uhave/u to move constantly! And now that she's became a full dog demon, she should have it in blood; put aside all the feelings and move.

_**"I have friends here"**_

Her voice echoed in my head. Her happy, bright face flashed in my mind, just to be replaced by the sad expression I've seen a while ago. Her trembling lips, the tears she desperately wanted to fight back... It's going to be hard for her, REALLY hard. But, she just has to get used to it. We cannot become the little puppies on a leash! We have to be free... Independent... Strong...

"What are you doing here?"

My heart stopped beating. _'No... Not NOW!'_ Turning around, my wide eyes met hard crimson ones and I came face-to-face with a stern-looking Hiei. I instantly lowered my head staring at the ground; somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to look at him. I wanted to say something, anything, but my throat was frozen. I gulped the large ice block and shuffled my feet.

"Standing," I said quietly, turning around. I heard him snort.

"You don't say," the fire demon sneered sarcastically, moving to stand next to me, his eyes fixed forward. Just when I wanted to say that he should get lost (or something like that), the wind picked up again, with much force. My hair flew up and scattered in every direction, but I quickly grabbed it, holding it tightly behind my head. The feeling struck me again, making me shiver. It was more demanding this time, the sensation.

"What the Hell is that?" I looked up after hearing Hiei's voice.

"Huh?"

"What's this thing..." he turned to gaze at me, his expression unreadable "that is calling you?"

I blinked, taken aback. "What the -? How did you -?!"

"I can see it in your eyes." Hiei turned to me, a stern look on his face "What's it called?"

I stayed silent, afraid to answer. As if not saying that would made it disappear, shut up...

"Why are you doing this?" again, the fire demon went straight forward at me, leaving me startled and confused.

"Do what?" I snorted, trying to get off of the topic "Standing?"

He scowled, not seeing anything funny in my sarcastic reply. "Not that, dunce."

"HEY!! I'm NOT a dunce, you -"

"Why are you listening to _it_?" Hiei cut me off, his eyes focused forward, just like mine. I frowned. He was stubbornly clinging to the disturbing topic.

"Well, I... It's in my blood, okay? I just can't go against it, and do what I wish. I feel like I need to... To listen."

"So, you play the role of a slave then?" he scowled casting me a quick glare.

I could feel my anger building up. "You may think whatever you want, Hiei. I will do as I feel like doing. You can't stop me, you nor anyone. It's a part of _me_."

After that, we both fell silent, listening to the wind which was howling louder and louder. I had the impression that it sounded a bit... Satisfied?

As we continued to gaze forward, I began to feel awkward for some reason. It was too quiet for my own liking, I wish Hiei'd say something. Anything. Because my own throat was frozen.

The pregnant silence was stretching endlessly, but when I finally decided to cut it, a voice echoed in my head. It was my own voice.

_**"I owe you something"**_

I blinked, feeling my cheeks getting redder and redder within seconds; and it wasn't from the cold.

_**"I owe you something"**_

I felt as if something hard crash-landed at the pit of my stomach. A knot formed inside.

_**"I owe you something"**_

"Hiei..."

The fire demon calmly turned his head to look at me, but I was faster; my hands rested on his shoulders loosely and my lips crashed against his. I could feel a jolt of surprise which ran through his body, but he didn't pull back, nor pushed me away. He just stood there, registering what's going on. I closed my eyes shut, so I missed how wide his became.

The kiss was simple, there was no fireworks, no sparks and I haven't fainted, or anything. Yet, it sent warm, pleasant waves through my body. As if Hiei was sharing his body heat with me. My nervousness, sadness, tension – all of it just disappeared.

It felt good. Really good.

As soon as I felt Hiei shyly kissing back, his lips no longer neutral against mine, I snapped back to reality. I pulled back and slowly opened my eyes, realization just now hitting me. I kissed Hiei. I did it. _I_ did it.

I didn't want to do it. It just... happened.

_No, it didn't. It wasn't planned out, but I wanted it to happen._

But, now... Hiei'll hate me. I mean, I just KISSED him!

_But he kissed BACK. And that means something._

... Does it?

"H-Hiei..." I stuttered out, my face beet red and my eyes fixed on the ground. I didn't dare to look up, at him. Not after _that_ "I-I'm sorry, okay? It just -"

"You owed me. Now we're even."

I finally brought myself to look at him, my eyes wide. _'WHAT?!'_. Hiei wasn't facing me, instead he stared at the trees before us, though his cheeks were colored a bright pink color. For a short moment, his red eyes rested on mine, but he quickly brought them back. So, he wasn't... mad?

"Kikyo-san!" a loud whisper made my ears twitch and I snapped my head, spotting Inuko, who was carrying her backpack and still looked sad.

"I-Inuko, eh, -" I sneaked a quick glance at Hiei, not sure what to say, but to my surprise, he wasn't there. I was dumbfounded.

"What's the matter?" Inuko asked, looking at me oddly.

"Ahh... Nothing, Inuko," I said, turning to her. In the corner of my eye, I caught Hiei standing on top of a tree branch, gazing down at us. Just then, I realized how awful the kid must've been feeling. It was horrible, a feeling that was tearing me apart from the inside. Trying hard to cover it up, I turned around. "Let's go."

"Yes..." Inuko's ears fell, but she began to walk nonetheless. I sighed, feeling terrible. But, we had to...

I took few steps forward, but I turned around abruptly, my eyes focusing on Hiei through the darkness. He was still there. Taking a deep breath, I mouthed discreetly,

_"I'll be back"_


	19. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

_I hear the wind call your name_

_It calls me back - home again_

_It sparks up the fire - a flame that still burns_

_Oh it's to you I'll always return..._

Cool, fresh wind blew through the forest, making it rustle. The fallen leaves, colored by Autumn in red, orange, yellow, brown (some stubbornly remained green), were creating multi-colored swirls every now and then. The sun shone brightly on the sky among the grayish, fluffy clouds.

The rustling, mixed with many different sounds of nature, seemed to form into soft, cooing words with a relaxing background tune.

It all seemed like a warm 'welcome back'.

_I can't stand the distance - I can't dream alone_

_I can't wait to see you - Yes I'm on my way home..._

One year. One year had passed since we left. I couldn't help but curve my lips into a small smile. Everything looked so new, so fresh. The smile widened as I caught a glimpse of the huge mansion before me. I fished out a small piece of paper and unfolded it, re-reading it for the God-knows-how-many time.

_Kikyo,_

_I've found some things about Your father's past and I think You'd want to know as well. Its about Your name's origin._

_Your father's first mate was a half dog demon, like You. However, despite what others were thinking of her, she never had given up. She was a master in swordsmanship, a true genius. Sadly, after two years of meeting Ryoku, a cat demon killed her. Her name was Kikyo._

_Also, I had finally solved the enigma of Your strange visions. I'm guessing that You know about the spell that had been put on You by Tataru, when You were a pup_ - the word was striked through, bit with only one straight line, so I could still see it clearly - _baby? Well, it had its side effects. In Your case, it is the gift of seeing the future. Yes, gift._

_I do not know any cures, though I think it's better to leave it, right? Say anything You want; it can come handy one day, like it did several times before during Your Detective work, had it not?_

_Until next time (I'll catch You),_

_Koenma_

-

_I hear the wind call your name_

_The sound that leads me home again_

_It sparks up the fire - a flame that still burns_

_Oh it's to you I will always return_

"Kikyo-san?"

I looked down, putting the letter back to my pocket. Inuko was staring at me, anxiety shone in her dark, sharp eyes. She's got a bit taller during the year, but beside that, she hadn't changed much. Her face was slightly paler, her hair was kept a couple of inches below her chin, brown and spiky.

"Haa?" I replied lazily, stifling a yawn.

"Since we're back..." Inuko started "Will we have to leave this place again?"

I frowned, musing about her question. Wherever we had stopped by, I was careful not to be there for too long. I really didn't want to hurt Inuko, again.

"I have the strange feeling that we'll have Holidays from now on." I finally said, smiling down at the girl. "_Long_ holidays"

Her face broke into a grin. "That's great!" she shouted cheerfully, doing a small jump. I ruffled her hair playfully, grinning as well.

_'Yep, we definitely need Holidays...'_

----

Hiei swung his katana for the thousandth time, bringing down yet another innocent tree. He wiped the sweat off his bandaged forehead. A whole week passed since Team Urameshi had gone to a real mission, but Hiei didn't want the free time go to waste.

All of a sudden, he felt a rush of youki somewhere around him. As soon as it appeared; it vanished. Hiei put his guard up, squeezing the hilt of his weapon; the youki was very familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it – it disappeared so fast...

The youki appeared to the left. The fire demon was facing the direction in a matter of milliseconds, his eyes catching a blur between the trees. He smirked. _'Not fast enough.'_

He began to walk towards the spot and cautiously looked around. No one. Not even the slightest trail. Hiei frowned to himself. _'What the -'_

"Hello, Hiei," Hiei whirled around, his weapon ready to strike whoever dared to sneak up on him...

"K-**Kikyo**?!" his red eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Indeed, Kikyo was hanging upside-down from a tree branch by her knees, her arms crossed and a satisfied smirk plastered on her lips. Her face was on the same level as Hiei's, her mischievous eyes fixed on his. "Nice to see ya."

----

I felt so proud of myself for being able to sneak up on Hiei. But, I pushed everything aside as our eyes met. The warm, fuzzy feeling returned as my smirk turned into a genuine smile. Forgetting about everything around me, I relaxed, melting into his warm gaze and... It happened.

I fell off the damn tree.

I got on all fours, growling and massaging the sore spot on top of my head. I opened on eye and looked at Hiei, my face tinted red. The blush deepened as I saw him smirking in amusement. I got up quickly, dusted my kimono off and smiled sheepishly, a major anime-style sweat drop rolling down the side of my forehead.

Suddenly, Hiei's warm hand grasped my free one and a soft, sweet kiss was planted on my cheek.

"Stupid inu-onna," He said, his voice in a whisper, his eyes never leaving mine. Gosh, how I missed how he called me... "Welcome back."

I returned his smile, putting my forehead against his, careful not to make contact with his Third Eye; the Jagan. Just then, I realized that I'm truly free. That I'm no longer a slave to the Northern Wind.

Well... At least until it will call my name again.

So I'm waiting for it, living my life to the fullest. I'm waiting for it, improving my skills. I'm waiting for it, developing new feelings and refreshing the old ones.

I'm waiting for the next Call.

The Call of the Wild.

**THE END**

* * *

Please visit my profile for some quite important info. Or you can visit me at my new account, **Sensible One**. I'd be more than happy to see you there :) I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I've been enjoying writing it. Thank you for sticking with me, even though I've almost forgotten about this project of mine. Almost.

Happy New Year, everyone! :)


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